Police from Naperville and firefighter/paramedics from Lisle-Woodridge Fire Protection District responded about 3:26 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, 2020 to a report of a crash with injuries in the area of Naper Boulevard south of Plank Road.
Upon arrival police and firefighter/paramedics discovered a motorist was apparently struck while changing a flat tire. The male victim was treated by paramedics and transported with life threatening injuries to Edward Hospital, where he was pronounced dead soon after arriving at the hospital.
During the course of the investigation, Naperville Police determined that a 2008 Silver Volkswagen Rabbit, driven southbound in the curb lane of Naper Boulevard by a 23-year-old male from Naperville, collided with a 28-year-old male pedestrian, also a resident of Naperville. The initial investigation indicated that the male pedestrian was hit by the Volkswagen Rabbit while he was changing a flat tire.
Due to the serious nature of the incident, members of the Naperville Traffic Unit trained in accident investigation and reconstruction responded to the scene. Naper Boulevard was closed from Plank Road to Chicago Avenue, and traffic was rerouted until the roadway was reopened at approximately 7:16 p.m.
The stoplight for Plank Road is in the middle of an S-Curve. Southbound Naper Boulevard motorists are warned by a diamond warning sign to “BE PREPARED TO STOP” … “WHEN FLASHING” because the traffic signals are not visible before the curve before the intersection. There is another curve (a right-turn curve) south of the intersection with Plank Road. The Speed Limit is 40 MPH according to a Google Street View image from October 2018. Skies were clear and sunny at the time of the crash, according to the National Weather Service Office at West Chicago, DuPage Airport. At the time of the crash, the Sun azimuth was 231 degrees (approximately in line with the angle of Plank Road) with an elevation of 33.41 degrees, according to the NOAA Solar Calculator/Global Monitoring Laboratory. Sunlight possibly made driving difficult with a “strobe effect” from a thick tree line along the right shoulder.
The crash investigation, following the on-scene investigation — is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the crash is asked to contact the Naperville Police Department’s Traffic Unit at 630-305-5477.
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