Police say the incident was a case of incredibly bad timing, something they are calling a "freak accident," although the driver of the truck was cited.
Hours after his truck struck and killed 24-year-old Catherine Cong Ye of Pennsylvania on her way to work Monday morning, the driver of a vegetable oil tanker had no comment as police officers dropped him off after tests and questioning.
About 8:30, Ye was about to cross Randolph toward the Loop when the tanker's ladder hit her. She was pulled underneath as the semi had just exited off the expressway.
Witnesses say the driver was very shaken, as he was unaware he had hit anyone until witnesses told him. One person who saw the accident, but would not go on camera, said the victim was not texting or the phone. He says she turned her head a split second and was struck.
Many who cross this intersection say you must be completely aware.
"I always look twice," said resident Georgianne Jirousek. "They fly right off the ramp."
"It's kind of a dangerous intersection and not to mention that you have the main drag in the middle, then two service streets. This Randolph thing, it's just kind of a weird anomaly in the city," said Sarah Johnston, who works in the area.
Tazeen Hamidi did not know anything about the accident, but she and her friends decided to drive to the West Loop for lunch because they didn't want to cross this intersection.
"Every time we walk we think of how dangerous this is when the cars are either exiting or entering the highway. They're so fast, so it's really hard to cross the street," Hamidi said.
The driver, Kevin Goettl, works for a South Dakota company and was cited for "failure to exercise for due care for a pedestrian in a roadway."
