Family Seeks Answers After Midlothian Man, Hit And Run Victim Dies

MIDLOTHIAN, IL — The family of a Midlothian man who was critically injured when struck by a car while on his motorcycle last month wants answers now more than ever. Jim Proper, 51, died Nov. 4, after spending weeks in the ICU for his injuries, family told Patch. He died three days before his birthday.

Proper was hit while riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Posen on Oct. 8. The driver who struck him fled, his aunt Kathleen Domrese told Patch, and his family needs to know who was responsible.

"I want to find who did this, I’m bound and determined," Domrese said. "Whatever way we have to do this. ... I just feel so helpless right now."

Proper had been heading back to his Midlothian home from a gathering with fellow bikers in Hazel Crest. He was driving northbound on Kedzie Avenue and 148th Street just before 11 p.m., when it appears a car came from a side street, striking Proper and then driving off, Domrese said. There's little clarity as to which direction the driver headed, she said; Proper was found at the scene by fellow bikers who were not far behind him.

He was taken to the hospital, where he was almost immediately placed into a medically induced coma. He had bleeding on his brain, doctors told family, and they worked quickly to contain it.

Weeks passed, and eventually they began to ease him out of his coma, but Proper wasn't waking up as they had hoped, Domrese said.

Doctors determined he had suffered a massive stroke, Domrese wrote on a GoFundMe for the family.

"... along with his brain injury, he will never come back to us as he was," she wrote. "Anyone that knows Jim would say this is not how Jim would want to live."

On Nov. 3, his family made the decision to take Proper off of life support, and he died 12 hours later, in the early morning hours of Nov. 4.

Posen police on Oct. 10 issued a notice on its social media page, asking anyone who had witnessed the crash to come forward, at the time calling it a "near fatal" hit-and-run.

"We are getting conflicting information as to the description and direction of travel of the offending vehicle," the police wrote. "We are urging residents that live in this area to check their video cameras for any vehicle that would have been fleeing from the scene of this accident."

Members of Sinners and Saints motorcycle club, of which Proper was a part, returned to the scene and reportedly found a piece of the car involved, Domrese said, and it's believed police have been able to determine the make and model of the car involved, she said.

Though she has not visited the scene, the friends who found Proper said the front tire looked as though the car had driven atop it, she said, like the driver "just came flying out and hit him, didn’t even stop."

Domrese—who is also Proper's godmother—describes him as "a good guy ... he had so many friends." He was caring and generous, too.

"If you needed anything, he’d stop whatever he was doing and come help you," Domrese said. "Funny, always laughing and joking."

Proper, who worked in security systems, was married to his wife Dawn for 14 years, but they were together for nearly two decades. They had one son together, Trevor, who died at birth. Proper also had three children from a previous marriage: 24-year-old Katie, 27-year-old Jonathan and another daughter, Kristi. He loved his Harley-Davidson, and it had been his lifelong dream to own one — a dream that came true several years ago when he purchased his very own. He became a member of Sinners and Saints Motorcycle Club, where he bonded with fellow motorcycle enthusiasts.

Domrese always knew her nephew was beloved, but it came into sharper focus two years ago, she said. Proper's daughter Kristi took her own life at 26 years old, Domrese said, and Proper planned a fundraiser bike rally in her name to spread suicide prevention awareness. He held the first in 2020, and another in July of this year. Those close to him in his motorcycle adventures turned out to support the cause.

"He was very intent on supporting that for his daughter," she said. "... Just an all-around good guy. ... He has a lot of 'brothers and sisters' in the motorcycle world."

The family has decided to cremate Proper's remains, and in coordination with the bikers club will hold a memorial celebration in June. The GoFundMe that's been established will help offset the cost of cremation, medical bills, and supporting his family.

Now they turn their focus to finding out who did this to Proper, Domrese said.

"They want to find out who did it," she said. "That’s their main thing right now. Anybody with a heart would not just leave somebody lying in the road like that."

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Posen Police Det. Leveille at 708-385-0277.

Sinners and Saints Motorcycle Club will hold a memorial gathering in Proper's name on Friday, Nov. 11, at 16723 Richmond Ave., Markham. Doors open at 5 p.m.

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