Pedestrian, 70, hit by car, dies crossing Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview

By Steve Metsch

A 70-year-old Bridgeview man died after he was hit by a car at 6:45 p.m. Monday in the 8100 block of South Harlem Avenue, Police Chief Ricardo Mancha said.

The man identified as Brian Callaghan was walking from the east side of Harlem to the west, Mancha said.

Callaghan lived at Moraine Court Supportive Living, 8080 S. Harlem Ave., Mancha said.

“He was crossing the street, and when he entered the southbound lanes, a car hit him. (He) was wearing dark clothing,” Mancha said.

Callaghan “suffered major injuries” and was pronounced dead about a half-hour later at Advocate Christ Medical Center, Mancha said.

No charges have been filed against the driver, who remained at the site after Callaghan was struck by his car, Mancha said. None are expected.

“He has a proper license, insurance. He has everything. At this juncture, no charges have been filed and I don’t think there will be,” Mancha said.

The driver was not injured, he said.

“The guy just walked into the middle of the street. And when you’re wearing dark clothing …” Mancha said.

The nearest traffic light is two blocks north at 79th Street.

“We have some grainy video we’re going to look at today to give us a better idea of what happened,” he said Tuesday.

Bridgeview Police have notified the Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team, Mancha said.

After the accident, all northbound lanes on Harlem remained open to traffic. “We were able to keep one lane of southbound open,” Mancha said.