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Woman Riding Bike Killed By Dump Truck In Old Irving Park

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 37-year-old woman was killed Wednesday morning, when she was struck by a dump truck while riding a bike in the Old Irving Park neighborhood.

As CBS 2's Steven Graves reported, a twisted, mangled bike frame with its tires ripped off was left in the street. One of the wheels was lodged underneath the truck.

Police said Carla Aiello was riding in the bike lane on Milwaukee Avenue around 7 a.m., headed south alongside a dump truck, when the 21-year-old truck driver turned right onto Kilbourn Avenue.

The truck rolled over Aiello, who was in the driver's blind spot, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver was cited for negligent driving and making an improper right turn, police said.

"When you hear it on the news and it's in your backyard like this one is here, it definitely saddens you," said Fidel Talavera.

Talavera owns Bacardi Bikes on Milwaukee Avenue, which is close to the accident scene.

Milwaukee Avenue is a street that the city calls one of its busiest. As Graves reported just on Tuesday, the city is already thinking about ideas to improve the bike lanes on another part of Milwaukee Avenue, such as adding barriers.

The area of possible change is along the diagonal thoroughfare between California and Western avenues, about three miles from the scene from the fatal accident.

Back at the scene, faded paint was all that indicated where there is a dedicated bike lane.

"It is everybody's responsibility. It just makes me even more defensive when I ride, and I'm sure anybody else – and hopefully drivers, become more aware that there are cyclists on the street," Talavera said.

The city installed the bike lanes in 2017. It is unclear whether the faded paint has anything to do with the accident.

We have not heard back on when the road was last painted.

The truck belongs to a trucking company based in Des Plaines. The company said they're truly saddened by what happened, calling it "a dark day."

The Major Accidents Investigation Unit was investigating.

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