Woman Hit By Car, Killed While Walking In Morgan Park

CHICAGO, IL - A 58-year-old woman from the Beverly-Morgan Park neighborhood died last week after she was hit by a car while walking to the Metra Rock Island station on 111th Street. Police say the woman, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Amy Machairas, was walking in the 1900 block of West Pryor Avenue at 6:39 a.m. on May 31 when she was struck by a car driven by a 24-year-old woman.

The driver of the car became "blinded by the sun" when she struck Machairas, who was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition. The victim sustained multiple hemorrhages to her head and died the following day at Christ, police said.

Machaiaras' death was ruled an accident, having been caused by blunt force injuries of the head the Medical Examiner's Office determined. She was pronounced at 2:32 p.m. on June 1.

The driver of the car who struck her was issued two citations as a result of the crash, including one for failure to carry a driver's license. She is scheduled to appear in traffic court on July 12.

A friend of Machairas told The Beverly Review she was “very funny and very much loved.”

Machairas, of the 11300 block of South Washtenaw Avenue, grew up in the neighborhood, attended Sutherland Elementary School and was the assistant vice president for R.W. Baird Financial Advisors’ Wholey Poitras Group at the firm's office in downtown Chicago before her death.

She was a wealth management specialist for more than 30 years, according to an obituary on Legacy.com, originally published by the Chicago Tribune. She and her husband, Nester Machairas, had no children but "Aunt Amy" was loved by many nieces and nephews.

A visitation for Machairas is set for Saturday morning at St. Barnabas Church, 10134 S. Longwood Dr.