Cyclist Killed After Being Pinned Under Mag Mile Tour Bus

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jun 16, 2016 3:04PM

A tour bus hit and killed a cyclist near the intersection of Oak Street and Michigan Avenue, just north of the Magnificent Mile, around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening.

In the fatal accident, the victim—identified as Blaine Klingenberg, 29, of Logan Square—was pinned underneath the double-decker bus's back tires, according to police. Firefighters had to use large air bags to raise the bus and remove the victim. Klingenberg was pronounced dead on arrival at Northwestern Hospital. It was the first bike fatality of 2016, according to ABC7.

Klingenberg failed to stop at a red light, according to police, and he was apparently riding with a group of cyclists. There are no bike lanes along that busy stretch of Michigan Avenue, plus, "lousy sightlines and blind spots," according to one user of the local bicycling message board The Chainlink.

Chicago Trolley confirmed in a statement that the bus involved was part of the company's fleet.

"Chicago Trolley is fully cooperating with the authorities with their investigation," the statement says. "Chicago Trolley takes safety as our top priority. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all involved."

Wednesday evening was a sad one for cyclists, as a second cyclist was struck by a car in a separate incident. A Chicago Police vehicle struck and injured a cyclist at the intersection of Hamlin and Jackson boulevards. in West Garfield Park, at roughly 7:40 p.m.

Officers were responding to a “shots fired” call when the police vehicle struck the unidentified, 29-year-old female cyclist. The vehicle’s "lights were flashing," according to police, but some eyewitness accounts dispute that claim. In videos posted to Facebook by witnesses Chris Matthews and Tremayne Cheers, both can be heard making statements to the contrary.

[H/T Streetsblog]