Bicyclist Hit, Killed by Driver in Logan Square

CHICAGO – Kevin Clark, a Chicago musician famous for playing the drummer Freddy “Spazzy McGee” Jones in the 2003 film “School of Rock,” was struck and killed by a driver early Wednesday while he biked in the Logan Square neighborhood.

Clark, 32, was riding westbound in the 2600 block of North Western Avenue around 1:20 a.m. when he was struck by a 20-year-old woman driving a Hyundai Sonata south on Western Avenue, police said.

Paramedics found Clark at Logan Boulevard and brought him to Illinois Masonic Hospital, where he was treated for “trauma throughout the body.” He died at the hospital shortly after arrival, around 2 a.m.

Police said the woman was not injured and has been issued citations for her role in the crash. Further details were not immediately available.

The crash occurred near the intersection of Logan Boulevard, Western Avenue and Kennedy Expressway, which has been identified as one of the most dangerous intersections in the city. In 2008, a 22-year-old male cyclist was struck and killed by a driver while riding his bike through the intersection. That year, he was one of four cyclists killed in bike-car-collisions in Chicago within an eight-month period.

Statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation show that accidents have steadily increased in the state in recent years, with higher numbers in Chicago and Cook County driving up those crash figures.

Jennifer L. Ashley joined Salvi, Schostok & Prichard P.C. in 2012 and was named Partner in 2014. She focuses her practice on the areas of personal injury and wrongful death law, including cases that involve car accidents, premises liability, and products liability.

Prior to joining Salvi, Schostok & Prichard P.C., Ms. Ashley was an associate at an insurance defense firm. She has tried well over 100 cases to verdict before a jury and has been published in the Cook County Jury Verdict Reporter more than 75 times for successful verdicts in personal injury cases. Ms. Ashley has negotiated and settled more than a thousand cases throughout her career. She regularly serves as an arbitrator in Cook and Lake Counties, deciding municipal cases on a panel with two other lawyers.

Education: Bachelor of Science from Western Illinois University, J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law

Professional Memberships: Director of the Lake County Bar Association, member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice

Awards: Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Law – Plaintiffs, Chicago, Super Lawyers “Top 100 Lawyers in the State of Illinois,” “Top 50 Female Super Lawyers in the State of Illinois,” and “Illinois Super Lawyers,” Law Bulletin Media “Leading Lawyers,” Best Lawyers: Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, and Best Lawyers: Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs