Grieving residents in the neighborhood of Manhattan pushed for street security enhancements after a 13-year-old boy was struck and killed by a semi whereas using his bike.
“Your coronary heart breaks for the household,” neighbor Fred Harvey mentioned. “This can be a very tight knit neighborhood. I’ve children who go to high school with the boy who died, and it’s only a tragedy.”
A memorial within the Will County neighborhood continued to develop for the eighth-grade pupil, with youngsters tying ribbons, honoring a life reduce quick.
“My daughter has mentioned he’s a very nice child,” Harvey said. “She rode the bus with him, and he’s only a pleasant, outgoing boy.”
Police mentioned the collision occurred at round 5:35 p.m. Monday night at State and North streets. The boy was discovered unresponsive underneath the semi’s trailer and later pronounced useless, authorities mentioned.
Mayor Mike Adrieansen, in a Fb put up, mentioned residents have beforehand expressed considerations about semi-truck site visitors, particularly close to faculties, parks, the library and the neighborhood heart.
Neighbors advised NBC Chicago they’d wish to see a site visitors mild put in on the intersection. Nevertheless, the fast repair can be to reroute semis, which they mentioned reduce by means of the city and have little regard for pedestrians and site visitors.
“I’ve really seen one other particular person get hit by a automobile right here too,” Nicholas Disterheft, the proprietor of Manhattan Pizza, mentioned. “I’d like to see much less semis, if that was attainable.”
The intersection solely has one cease signal—for 4 lanes of site visitors.
Adrieansen mentioned change is coming—however a lot of it will depend on the state. Route 52 is a state street—and an official request has been filed to make it a size-restricted truck route.
The village engineer can be engaged on new crosswalks.
Following the crash, the small city was left grieving, and fogeys have been left with a warning.
“You thank god your children are secure and also you simply strive to ensure all the youngsters are secure and the youngsters are conscious of their environment. Be further cautious. I imply this can be a fairly harmful intersection, and we have now vehicles going by means of right here on a regular basis, and simply be further secure.”
