The intersection of Michigan and Oak, at the north end of the Magnificent Mile, is a complex and intimidating junction. Here, Michigan is a massive seven-lane boulevard, while Oak is a broad, two-lane street with turn lanes, lined with pricey boutiques and luxury high-rises. To the north are on- and off-ramps for Lake Shore Drive as well as curving roadways leading to and from Inner Lake Shore Drive. At the northeast corner there’s an underpass leading to the Lakefront Trail and Oak Street Beach. As such, this crossroads is often filled with a chaotic mix of pedestrians, bike riders, private cars, taxis, and buses.
Klingenberg, a native of Bakersfield, California, worked for Advanced Messenger Service, delivering envelopes and packages via a large, yellow, Danish-style cargo bike.
Henry has not been issued traffic citations or charged with a crime.
After traveling two or three car lengths, Jones heard someone scream “No!” and stopped her car. Although Jones did not see the initial impact, she looked left and saw that the bus driver had run over a cyclist. She ran over to the “horrific” crash site to try to help, she says.
At the time of the crash, Boyer was standing at the southeast corner of the intersection by the Drake Hotel, waiting to cross north to the beach underpass with his bike. From there he was able to watch the entire incident unfold.
“I’m confident that she went into the intersection after the light turned red,” Boyer says. He added that the driver did not seem to hit the brakes until after she struck the cyclist.
