JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE ...

We've been busy lately counting the number of accidents on 47th Street -- the latest hot spot in town that has been attracting a lot of attention from local residents, village officials and, we hear (Thank God!), the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Turns out IDOT is finally listening to calls by the village to reduce the speed limit on the state road and eventually turn jurisdiction of its entire La Grange length over to the village so it can be downsized to three lanes. They reportedly are taking a "hard look" at the proposals.

It's been exactly one month since Cari Cook of Countryside lost her life when a passing motorist struck and killed her as she hoisted her baby stroller onto a raised curb after safely crossing 47th at 8th Avenue -- but where the depressed curbs do not match up because of the misaligned streets and corners. To date, there have still been no criminal charges filed or traffic tickets issued.

Still, you'd think with all the headlines, a renewed police presence, a digital speed counter and the pedestrian crosswalk barricades at 9th Street -- let alone the ongoing silent memorial to the 30-year-old wife and mother of two on both sides of the corner featuring a white cross, balloons and handwritten notes -- that people driving through the area would exercise a little more caution. As we said back in high school, NOT!

I always love the police reports in which someone involved in an accident "didn't see" the other car, the other driver, the kid on the bike, etc. Or when they became "distracted" by something other than what was on the road in front of them. Mistakes happen, sure, but it appears 47th produces at least one crash, on average, every other day.

Perhaps the worst collision there took place a week ago, at 4:45 p.m. June 11, when two drivers and one passenger were transported to the hospital after a 46-year-old Summit man believes he "fell asleep at the wheel" and "did not recall "when he crossed the double yellow lines in the middle of 47th just east of 10th Avenue and crashed into Witte, causing a 5-car pileup, according to police.

Driving a '95 Toyota Corolla, Ekrem Memeshi allegedly crossed into oncoming eastbound traffic and struck an '03 Chevy Blazer being driven by Donald Witte, 47, of Chicago, which caused Witte to collide with two more cars. Memeshi then apparently spun around and struck an '08 Jeep Cherokee. That driver, Dwayne Burrell of Plainfield, was then forced into a fifth vehicle in the eastbound curb lane, an '03 Ford Explorer being driven by Jean Cervantes, 47, of Berwyn, which was in the eastbound curb lane next to him.

Memeshi, who received two traffic citations and multiple injuries for which he was treated in the trauma unit of Loyola University Medical Center, had to be extricated from his vehicle by firefighters using the "Jaws of Life" rescue tool.

The small car driven by Memeshi, according to one firefighter at the scene, had its entire front half "sheared off" and lost one of its front wheels on impact.

Not only was Memeshi injured, but so too was his elderly passenger, 81-year-old Naile Memisofska, of the same address. She was taken to Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital by Pleasantview ambulance, as was the driver of the third vehicle, an '08 Honda Pilot, Arlynn Manasse, 62, of Downers Grove, by Western Springs paramedics.

Neither Witte, who told police he was in the center eastbound lane when Memeshi came into his lane, Cervantes or Burrell reported any injuries.

It happened so fast, Manasse told police she didn't know what happened


And so, back to the tally
Between June 9 (where we left off last week) and June 15, there were a total of 5 crashes on 47th: in the June 15 evening rush at Peck Avenue, in the June 12 evening rush at Bluff Avenue, the aforementioned at 10th, as well as one in the mid-afternoon of June 9 at East Avenue and another a little more than five hours earlier at La Grange Road.

So, I guess that's just one more than every other day.


Then there was the adult bicyclist police said was struck by an '06 Jeep shortly before noon June 10 at La Grange Road and Ogden Avenue, which resulted in injuries to 41-year-old Minerva Glosniak of North Riverside.

Reports indicate Christopher Mobily, 40, of Evanston, was pulling into a driveway at 125 N. La Grange Road from a northbound lane when the left front of his Jeep collided with Glosniak's Schwinn as she rode south on the sidewalk crossing directly in front of him -- causing her to be totally ejected from the bike and onto the pavement.

Police said Mobily told them his attention was distracted by a pedestrian walking north on the sidewalk at the driveway and he didn't see the bike enter the driveway area. Glosniak said she was struck as she turned in to the driveway, at which time she also screamed to alert the driver, to no avail.

Glosniak was treated for her injuries at Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital, and Mobily received one traffic citation.

Fire blotter
La Grange firefighters were called to the scene of a kitchen fire at 523 S. Brainard Ave. shortly after 8 a.m. June 16, only to find the homeowner had already extinguished the small blaze caused by an overheated coffee pot.

A day earlier, at 3:50 p.m. June 15, they were called to a house fire in the rear of 1111 S. Stone Ave., in which Nicor inspectors were dispatched. The fire turned out to be in a gas grill built into the back of the house. There were no injuries and no damage estimates were available.

Bad timing
Shortly before 3 p.m. June 15, a resident of the 300 block of Sunset Avenue reported that someone had stolen downspouts from their house.

In other news ...
Public Works crews were busy earlier this week cleaning up downed trees around town due to the lightning and torrential downpours, including large tree branches blocking the street in the 600 block of West Elm Avenue and a large tree branch hung up on power lines in the 500 block of South 10th.