CTA bus driver, father of 2 killed in Dan Ryan hit-and-run months before wedding, fiancée says
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A woman planning to marry her high school sweetheart in November is mourning his death after he was struck and killed in a hit-and-run crash on the Dan Ryan Expressway early Friday, according to Illinois State Police.
Octavius Simmons, 35, a CTA bus driver and father of two sons, was killed just months before he was set to marry his fiancée, Janay Beasley.
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Beasley struggled to express her grief while speaking exclusively with ABC7 Chicago about Simmons.
"A loving father..." Beasley mustered before breaking down in tears.
Photos of the couple that had been prepared for their November wedding now serve as a reminder of plans that will never be realized.
According to Illinois State Police, the crash occurred at about 2:39 a.m. Friday on northbound Interstate 94 near 47th Street in the local lanes. Investigators said Simmons was standing outside a red Jeep SUV that was stopped in the center lane when he was struck by a separate vehicle.
Simmons was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he died.
Beasley described the loss as overwhelming.
"Something I cannot deal with. I can't deal with it," she said.
The driver who struck Simmons fled the scene, police said.
Illinois State Police said investigators are seeking the public's help in identifying the vehicle involved. Authorities have not released a description of the suspect vehicle.
Anyone who witnessed a person standing in front of a red Jeep SUV being hit on northbound I-94 at 47th Street around 2:39 a.m., or anyone with dash camera footage of the crash, is asked to contact Illinois State Police Zone 1 at 847-294-4400 or email ISP.CrimeTips@Illinois.gov. Witnesses can remain anonymous.
No arrests had been announced as of Friday.
