Girl, 14, Struck By SUV In Austin

(STMW) -- A 14-year-old girl was struck by a car and critically wounded Saturday afternoon in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side.

The girl was bent down tying her shoelaces in a restaurant parking lot about 4 p.m. in the 4800 block of West Jackson when she was struck by a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer, police said.

She was taken in critical condition to Mount Sinai Hospital, police said.

The SUV was turning into the parking lot when the girl was struck, according to a police source. She suffered head injuries in the crash.

The driver, a 45-year-old man from Elgin, was cited for not exercising due care to avoid a collision with a pedestrian, police said.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)