Overview
- A black SUV turning into a parking lot and an ATV collided on the 4800 block of West Diversey Avenue in Belmont Cragin, leaving the ATV operator critically injured and two others hospitalized.
- The ATV was driven by a 22-year-old man with a 16-year-old boy as a passenger; the man was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in critical condition and the two others were reported in good condition.
- Chicago police opened an investigation into the crash and said citations are pending while they continue to gather facts.
- The collision has drawn attention to Senate Bill 3484, which the Illinois General Assembly passed and sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker; the bill would treat vehicles capable of more than 28 mph as passenger vehicles and require a valid driver’s license, title, registration and insurance.
- If signed, the law would take effect in January 2027 and supporters say it would give police clearer tools to restrict high-speed off-road and electric vehicles from sidewalks, bike lanes and other nonroad areas, which could change enforcement and rider behavior in dense neighborhoods.