3 women from same family killed in Morgan Park crash, 4 others injured

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Three women from the same family were killed and four other people were injured in a crash in the Morgan Park neighborhood Wednesday night, Chicago police said.

Ruby Johnson, 28, her 56-year-old aunt Carrie Johnson and Carrie's 30-year-old daughter Cassandra Johnson were all killed. Police say the driver of their car ran a red light, colliding with an SUV at 112th Place and South Hamlet around 11:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Family said they were heading home from a family New Year's party with a "Roaring 20s" theme and were all in costume. Steven Johnson, Ruby's uncle, said she couldn't wait.

"She got her outfit, she ordered it from Amazon, so it had all of the accessories, everything," Steven Johnson said.

Ruby Johnson was the primary caretaker for her 88-year-old grandmother. Her aunt, Carrie Johnson, was a CTA bus driver for the last 15 years. Her daughter, Cassandra Johnson, also worked as a caretaker. They were all pronounced dead shortly after the crash.

"Everyone, you know, we thought made it home safely," Johnson said. "And then to just be woken up extremely early morning with tragic news is just tough."

Four people riding in the SUV, including a 3-year-old girl riding in a car seat, were injured. None of them had life-threatening injuries.

The Johnson family is now working on funeral arrangements and remembering three women who they say loved life and brought joy to others.

"They were the heart of the family," Johnson said.

The Chicago Police Major Accidents Division is investigating the crash. At this point, they said there are no charges and no citations have been issued.