A woman who was struck by a minivan as she and a companion were walking down a sidewalk in west suburban Lombard on Monday night has died.
About 8:15 p.m. Monday, a Jewel semi truck was eastbound on Roosevelt Road when it collided with a minivan that was northbound on Main Street, causing the minivan to go out of control. The van rolled over and hit a man and a woman walking on a sidewalk together, Lombard Fire Battalion Chief Ron Rakosnik said.
The man’s legs were pinned under the van, according to the chief who said he saw bystanders move the van off the man's legs. “I saw them push the van a little bit and release it. There were a couple of people [that helped]. It all happened so fast,’’ according to Rakosnik, who said he did not know the names of the people who helped.
The pinned man was in his 40s or 50s, Rakosnik said. Both he and the woman suffered “trauma’’ injuries and were taken to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, he said. The woman, identified as Pascula Hernandez-Gutierrez, 49, of Lombard, died Tuesday morning of her injuries, according to the DuPage County Coroner's office.
“The man suffered pretty extensive trauma to his left leg for sure,’’ Rakosnic said. The driver of the minivan, who is being investigated by Lombard police, was in his 20s and was also taken to Good Samaritan, though his injuries were not as serious.
Driving conditions were fine, Rakosnic said. “It was a nice evening and there were a lot of people out." The accident is under investigation by Lombard police.