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The driver of a Chevy Impala struck last week by an 18-wheeler on First Avenue died Tuesday from his injuries.
John T. Alfirevic, 93, was driving southbound on First Avenue approaching Forest Avenue at about 1:30 p.m. on July 16 when he apparently turned left into the path of a semi-tractor trailer driven by a 50-year-old St. Louis man.
The northbound truck smashed into the front passenger side of the Chevy before barreling off the roadway and into the forest preserve area north of Forest Avenue. Alfirevic’s 92-year-old wife, Vlasta, was sitting in the passenger seat of the car. She died of her injuries that afternoon.
Police did not issue any tickets to the driver of the truck.
John and Vlasta Alfirevic were longtime residents of North Riverside and members of Mater Christi Parish. John Alfirevic was born Aug. 27, 1916 and was a native of Chicago. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a member of an the 349th Troop Carrier Group in Europe.
He worked for more than 40 years at the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors in McCook, and he spent a dozen years raising money to support the United Crusade, a precursor to the United Way.
Visitation for both Vlasta and John Alfirevic will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 22, at Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home, 2447 Desplaines Ave. in North Riverside. A funeral Mass for the couple will be celebrated on Friday, July 23, at Mater Christi Church, 2431 10th Ave. in North Riverside.
