4 dead, 1 critical in Montclare crash, police say

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Four people died and one woman was critically injured in a high-speed crash in the Montclare neighborhood early Thursday morning. The vehicle narrowly missed 100 propane tanks - by about 5 feet.

The driver lost control of a four-door silver BMW and crashed into a wall behind the Lowe's in the 2600-block of North Narragansett Avenue around 3 a.m., according to the Chicago Police Department Major Accident Investigation Unit. They also said the vehicle may have been speeding down the access road.

Investigator Elliot Musial said the unit examined surveillance footage from Lowe's to investigate the cause of the single-vehicle, pin-in crash. Most of the five people in the car had to be extricated.

"You see the vehicle come into frame," Musial said. "It's moving at a very high rate of speed, appears to get partially sideways and crash into the abutment in the side of the building."

Authorities also said the deadly accident could have turned into a HazMat situation.

"The vehicle came within 5 feet of striking about 100 propane tanks," Musial said. "Luckily it did not ignite the propane tanks, but it could have been a much more serious incident in terms of HazMat."

Two victims were pronounced dead on the scene, Chicago Fire Department officials said. Two victims were transported to Presence Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, where they later died. One woman was taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where she is listed in critical condition.

Police have not released their identities, but said most were in their late teens or early 20s. The driver and the front passenger were wearing seat belts. The rear passengers were not.

Some who live and work in the area have concerns about the service road. They said cars regularly go too fast, using it as a shortcut.

Salvatore Valvalaros said his father was hit by a vehicle last year in the same place as Thursday's accident. He said his father survived, suffering head injuries and a fractured vertebrae, but the driver did not stop.

"Hopefully the property owners will take action and do something to stop this," he said.

Autopsies for the four victims are scheduled for Friday.