Homeless Man Dies After Being Hit by Car While Walking Across Joliet Street

JOLIET, IL — An 80-year-old homeless man died Tuesday afternoon after stepping in front of a vehicle while crossing the street at Reed and Jefferson.

Joliet Deputy Police Chief Ed Gregory told Patch that the man, who was known to officers and was a frequent resident of the Daybreak Shelter, was at the northwest corner of Jefferson and Reed streets when he attempted to cross to the southwest corner at 12:42 p.m.

The man, who did not have the right of way, stepped in front of a truck in the outside lane closest to the curb, but the driver was able to stop before hitting the man. The man then kept walking when a black Jaguar driven by a Joliet man, which was a car’s length behind the truck, crashed into him, Gregory said. The man bounced off the hood and windshield before falling to the pavement. Witnesses and video corroborated the driver’s story of the crash, Gregory said.

The man was taken to a local hospital with bruising on the brain, compound fractures in both his legs and a fractured left arm. He was pronounced dead at 2:57 p.m., according to the Will County Coroner's Office.

It's not believed drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, Joliet Police Chief Brian Benton said.

The man's name has not been released pending notification of family. The crash closed off the intersection of Jefferson and Reed for several hours Tuesday afternoon as police investigated, but roads have since reopened.

photo via Shutterstock