Woman Killed, 2 Others Injured In Jackson Park Crash

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A woman was killed and two others were injured late Thursday when a car crashed into a tree on busy Cornell Drive in Jackson Park.

Around 11:45 p.m., a Honda Prelude left the roadway and crashed into a tree Cornell Drive and Midway Plaisance, just south of the Museum of Science and Industry.

One woman was ejected 25-feet from the vehicle, and a man and a woman had to be extricated from the car, according to Langford, who said it took 40 minutes to free the man from the wreckage.

One of the women, Velois Murray, 19, of the 7700 block of South Langley Avenue, was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

The woman who was ejected was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, Langford said.

The man, who was driving, was taken in critical condition to Stroger Hospital of Cook County, according to Langford.

Cornell Drive is part of a through-route that connects Lake Shore Drive to Stony Island Avenue for motorists headed for the Chicago Skyway. It also connects Lake Shore Drive to the University of Chicago campus, via the Midway Plaisance.

The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating.

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.