Tragically, the driver of a Audi sedan fatally struck bicycle rider Matthew McCallum, 52, last Saturday evening as he crossed Harts Road in Niles while riding on the North Branch Trail. It was the second time a street crossing death had occurred on the popular cycling route since July 2024.
The July 2024 crash in Morton Grove
On the morning of Tuesday, July 9, 2024, 74-year-old Michael Rapp was bicycling on the trail when he attempted to ride across Dempster Street at Lehigh Avenue in Morton Grove, local police said. Dempster has five lanes in this location, which encourages speeding by drivers.
A person driving a car on Dempster struck the bike rider, according to police. Rapp, a retired schoolteacher and architect who lived in Skokie, was transported to Lutheran General Hospital and pronounced dead.
Crash at one of the multiple intersections along the north. Ranch trail. Very serious if not worse.
Bicyclist crossed against the green light at five lane crossing. They were basically t-boned by the oncoming motor vehicle.
Dempster Ave in Morton Grove. pic.twitter.com/vxb3atDnLn
— Balu Puppy (@balupuppy)
A Streetsblog reader who posted about the crash later told me he arrived at the scene after the collision, and witnesses said the driver had the green. Police did not mention whether speeding by the motorist and/or distracted driving may have been factors in their inability to avoid striking Rapp…