One Dead, Six Critically Injured In South Side Wreck

CHICAGO (STMW) -- One of seven people who were critically injured early Sunday when a car struck a tree in the South Side Back of the Yards neighborhood has died.

Juan P. Trujillo, 28, of 4836 S. Bishop St., was pronounced dead at 2:29 a.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

The one-vehicle crash happened about 1:28 a.m. near the intersection of West Garfield Boulevard and South Hamilton Avenue when a Chevrolet Malibu struck a tree, according to police News Affairs Officer Robert Perez. The driver was a man in his 20s, police said. A previous report that the driver was a 14-year-old girl was incorrect; the girl was found in the front seat of the car after the crash, police said.

An EMS Plan 1 response, which automatically sends five ambulances to the scene, was called for the crash, according to Fire Media Affairs.

Seven people were taken in critical condition to area hospitals, Fire Media Affairs said.

An 18-year-old woman and a man in his 20s were taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County; a 28-year-old man, a 22-year-old man and an 18-year-old man were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital; an unidentified person was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital; and the 14-year-old girl was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said.

It had not been determined if drugs or alcohol was a factor in the crash, Perez said.

The police Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the accident.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2012. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)