Big Rash Of Traffic Accident Fatalities in Chicagoland - 2 killed, 4 others hurt in crash on NW Side

Two people were killed and four more seriously injured when two vehicles crashed into a PLS Check Cashiers store in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood on the Northwest Side this morning.

The two deceased were a man and woman, both 57, who had been sent to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. The female was pronounced dead at 6:08 a.m.; the man was pronounced dead at 6:17 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Officials said that the two were part of a cleaning crew that had been working Downtown and were heading back to their homes.

At 5:15 a.m., police responded to reports of a car into a structure near the intersection of West Diversey Avenue and North Kostner Avenue, according to police News Affairs Officer Amina Greer.
Two cars were involved -- a beige Hyundai and a black Honda. The Honda hit a street light and both cars hit the PLS Check Cashiers at 4400 W. Diversey Ave.

Emergency personnel responded at 5:25 a.m. and an EMS Plan 1 was called, according to Fire Media Affairs spokesman Rich Rosado. Earlier, everyone was listed as being seriously-to-critically injured, he said.

An EMS Plan 1 calls for five ambulances. A sixth had to be brought to the scene, he said.

Julio Ayala lives a block north of where the accident took place and was awakened by the sound this morning at 5:02 a.m.

"Three young people were in the Honda and three older people were in the Hyundai," he said. "One was really severe and one wasn't really moving."

He said emergency personnel had to use the jaws of life to remove a person from the car and CPR was being performed on another victim.

"The other three victims were sitting next to the car trying to figure out what happened," Ayala said.

Two people were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, two people were brought to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, one was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, and one was taken to Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, according to Rosado.

The EMS Plan 1 was secured by 5:48 a.m., he said.