CHICAGO — The family of a 3-year-old girl who was killed when her mother’s bike collided with a semi is now considering legal action.
Lilly Shambrook was killed Thursday. She was riding in a safety seat while her mother was biking the 1100 block of West Leland Avenue in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. They were traveling in the same direction as a semi-truck when the woman lost control of the bicycle and collided with the semi’s cab. According to police, the bike fell to the ground and the 3-year-old was struck by the truck.
Investigators said a ComEd truck was illegally parked in the bike lane at the time and that forced the girl and her mother’s bike into traffic.
According to the Illinois Traffic Crash Report, the truck illegally parked within 30 feet of the stop sign and in the bike lane.
ComEd issued a statement saying, “ComEd was issued a permit by the Chicago Department of Transportation to perform work in the area, however, our investigation into the accident is ongoing”
Bike advocacy groups say this is another reason why they will continue to fight for safety measures.
Alex Perez is Advocacy Manager with Active Transportation Alliance
“It’s very heartbreaking to see another child being lost,” Perez said. “Especially with the summer gearing up, we need infrastructure being built now and not having to wait for another tragedy to happen. … This is the importance of what it means to not be parking in bike lanes. A lot of people park in a bike lane and say they will only be there for two minutes. That two minutes could save someone’s life of not having to go into traffic and go around the bike lane.”
Another group voicing their concern is Bike Lane Uprising. The group issued a statement that said, “In one week, a 2-year-old and 3-year-old were killed on Chicago streets. These deaths were preventable. They were not accidents. Yesterday’s heartbreaking tragedy is the epitome of why our Bike Lane Uprising database exists. Blocking bike lanes has real safety consequences. ComEd has a long history of endangering the lives of people biking. The cycling community is no longer asking nicely for change. We are demanding it.”
The family’s attorney said they will be “heavily pursuing” charges against ComEd and a case could be coming within a week.