Replace 5/9/22, 10:15 AM: At a court docket listening to on Saturday, prosecutors mentioned hit-and-run driver Phil Pinkawa turned himself in after his mom noticed a TV report in regards to the crash and “put two and two collectively,” in accordance with a Chicago Tribune report. Pinkawa had left his job as a cook dinner at a pizzeria earlier than he killed Nick Parlingayan. Pinkawa, who additionally works as a trucker, is being held on $50K bail.
Replace 5/6/22, 8:30 PM: The Chicago Police Division introduced that Phil Pinkawa, 57, was recognized as the motive force who fatally struck Nick Parlingayan. Pinkawa was taken into custody and charged with one felony depend of failure to report a crash leading to a demise.
When a driver fatally strikes an individual on a motorcycle, the least we as a society can do for the sufferer’s family members is make coverage and infrastructure adjustments to assist be certain that an identical tragedy doesn’t occur at that location sooner or later. Sadly, that’s not what occurred on the intersection of Milwaukee and Kilbourn avenues in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood, the place drivers have now struck and killed two bike riders. The most recent sufferer was barista Nick Parlingayan, 22, fatally struck final night time by a driver who fled the scene.
The Carla Aiello case
Three and a half years earlier, within the morning of November 6, 2019, college counselor Carla Aiello, 37, was using southeast within the Milwaukee bike lane when a dump truck driver made a proper flip in her path, crushing her to demise. That night time employees from the bikeway advocacy web site Bike Lane Rebellion led a “human protected bike lane” protest on the web site to attract consideration to the necessity for safer circumstances for cyclists.
The Chicago Division of Transportation finally made minor security enhancements to the intersection. These included making a sidewalk extension with paint and versatile plastic posts on the nook the place Aiello was struck, to encourage motorists to decelerate whereas making the flip.
The Nick Parlingayan case
Final night time, Might 4, at about 9:30 p.m., Nick Parlingayan was biking within the 3800 block of North Milwaukee, in accordance with a press release from the Chicago Police Division. The motive force of a black Nissan Versa sedan struck him within the highway and fled northwest on Milwaukee.
Parlingayan was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital in crucial situation the place he was pronounced lifeless at 10:10 p.m., in accordance with the Prepare dinner County medical expert’s workplace. He lived about half a mile southeast of the crash web site.
Pictures of the crash web site posted on Twitter point out that the collision occurred about 100 toes northwest of Milwaukee/Kilbourn, within the northwest-bound lanes. (Content material warning: One of many photos beneath reveals blood on the highway.)
Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run close to similar intersection Carla Aiello died at 2 and a half years in the past https://t.co/QD6q9fIdIP pic.twitter.com/8uJIQFwDkH
— Patrick Gorski (@patgorski) Might 5, 2022
On Thursday afternoon, Police Information Affairs mentioned an individual of curiosity was in custody.
The CPD crash report says officers spoke to a witness who requested anonymity, who mentioned he was driving northwest-bound on Milwaukee when he noticed the Nissan driver strike Parlingayan. The witness mentioned he was unable to see additional particulars of the collision, besides that in his rearview mirror he noticed sparks coming from the bicycle because it scraped the highway.
The report additionally states that there are video cameras on a close-by constructing dealing with Milwaukee. As well as, the doc signifies that the hit-and-run driver struck a parked Toyota Camry automotive.
In line with an ABC Chicago report, police mentioned Paringayan fell off his bike and hit his head. “I mentioned I gained’t imagine it till I see him,” the sufferer’s mom Gigi Javier mentioned. “I nonetheless need to imagine or hope that’s it’s not him however I suppose that’s not going to occur.”
Paringayan’s neighbor Stuart Henrichs instructed ABC the fallen bike owner was a pleasant, hard-working man. “He was a great individual. I imply, you don’t come throughout that too usually anymore, and he was a really type individual.”
In line with a Block Membership Chicago report, Paringayan was born within the Philipines, moved to Chicago as a toddler, attended Alcott School Prep highschool in North Heart, and labored at a Starbucks.
Right here’s some footage from the scene at present at Milwaukee & Kilbourn exhibiting automobiles taking the nook quick & driving within the oncoming lane so the bumpout doesn’t gradual them down. It’s also possible to see the velocity of the northbound site visitors via the slim lane. #bikechi pic.twitter.com/ES4iRyhnbG
— madopal 🤷 (@chownlife) Might 5, 2022
Crash web site neighbor Kim instructed ABC, “Folks blow by way of this mild over right here on a regular basis,” indicating the stoplight at Kilbourn, the place Metra’s Milwaukee District North line tracks, which run simply east of Kilbourn, cross over Milwaukee Avenue. “And there’s an issue. They velocity down this highway. It’s tragic… One thing must be executed.”
Southeast-bound Milwaukee is presently closed beneath the Metra viaduct for a building mission. Jersey limitations presently slim the northwest-bound portion of the highway by way of the underpass, in order that motorists are driving within the striped bike lanes, as proven within the picture beneath.
On this stretch of Milwaukee, the northwest-bound bikeway, the place Paringayan was struck, is a buffered bike lane to the left of the curbside parking lane. The southeast-bound bike lane is situated subsequent to the curb and is delineated with plastic poles.
Responses from the advocacy neighborhood
“This tragic and preventable crash is simply the most recent instance of how Chicago officers are failing to guard individuals biking on metropolis streets,” mentioned Lively Transportation Alliance spokesperson Kyle Whitehead. “Milwaukee Avenue has been recognized as a significant bike hall in each bike plan the town places out, but lower than 15 % of it options protected bike lanes. If Milwaukee Avenue is usually unsafe and uncomfortable for individuals on bikes, what hope is there for each different main hall within the metropolis?”
“There’s been years of concern and organizing round this particular location, most just lately after the tragic demise of Carla Aiello in 2019,” Whitehead famous. “However the enhancements made up to now have all been half-measures that fail to handle the inherently harmful design of the roadway that permits automobiles to journey too shortly and too intently to susceptible individuals on bikes. These circumstances create conflicts and crashes that may shortly flip lethal, as we’ve seen too many instances.”
Whitehead added that loads of funding is presently out there for bikeways because of federal, state, and native infrastructure applications. “What Chicago is missing is political will and braveness to prioritize security above the perceived consolation and comfort of individuals driving. It’s outrageous.” He mentioned ATA is reaching out to CDOT and forty fifth Ward aldermen James Gardiner (who was investigated by the FBI final fall for alleged corruption), to ask what quick steps will probably be taken to handle the harmful circumstances on this a part of Milwaukee.
Bike lawyer Brendan Kevenides from FK Legislation (a Streetsblog Chicago sponsor) famous that the southeast-bound bike lanes of this phase of Milwaukee solely have flimsy posts to maintain drivers out of them, whereas the northwest-bound lanes haven’t any bodily safety in any respect. “That is one more instance of why the town ought to create bicycle lanes with actual, hardened safety, like concrete. That is the third bike owner’s demise this yr and the great climate hasn’t even began but. That is unacceptable.”
“Compounding this tragedy is that the deadly crash occurred in the identical location on Milwaukee Avenue the place one other bike owner was beforehand killed,” mentioned lawyer Michael Keating from the bike-focused agency Keating Legislation Workplaces (additionally an SBC sponsor.) “This isn’t a coincidence. Milwaukee Avenue is just too slim to accommodate the variety of parked automobiles and motor autos on the highway together with cyclists and mass transit. Town of Chicago and its division of transportation want to offer severe consideration to eliminating private motor autos from sure sections of Milwaukee.”
When no little or no motion is taken after a motorcycle fatality, the tragedy is made worse
Milwaukee/Kilbourn will not be the one Chicago intersection that been the positioning of two totally different bike fatality instances. The advanced intersection of Logan Boulevard and Western Avenue in Logan Sq. noticed the demise of videographer Tyler Fabeck, 22, in 2008, adopted by the killing “Faculty of Rock” drummer Kevin Clark, 32, on Might 26 of final yr. Advocacy by the victims family members and an outcry from the native biking neighborhood led to the town lastly implementing a highway food plan with bike lanes delineated with versatile posts close to the intersection final fall.
Hopefully the disappointment and outrage over this newest avoidable tragedy within the Irving Park neighborhood will result in main infrastructure adjustments as effectively. When transportation officers reply to the primary biking fatality at an intersection with half-measures, or no motion in any respect, resulting in a second preventable demise, certainly it makes the loss more durable for the family members of each the victims.
Particular because of Joe Sislow, who serves as Northwest Aspect consultant for the (dormant) Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council for visiting the crash web site at present to take images.
Fatality Tracker: 2022 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on floor streets
Pedestrian: 5
Bicyclist: 3
Word: Streetsblog Chicago’s site visitors demise numbers symbolize deadly crashes on Chicago floor streets, based mostly on media studies and/or preliminary Chicago Police Division knowledge launched by the Chicago Division of Transportation.
