A woman was killed and four others injured in a violent crash involving a Chevy Malibu and a GMC sports utility vehicle on First Avenue just south of Waubansee Road in Riverside on the night of April 30.
Riverside Public Safety Director Matthew Buckley said the other four people hurt in the crash all suffered non-life threatening injuries. Samantha Nieves, 23, of Summit, who was a front seat passenger in the Chevy Malibu, sustained fatal injuries.
The crash occurred at about 8 p.m., according to Buckley. The Chevy Malibu, which was carrying Nieves and the driver, was headed northbound on First Avenue, according to Buckley. The GMC vehicle, which was carrying three people, was traveling southbound at the time of the crash.
Both vehicles sustained substantial damage and Nieves, who was trapped inside the Chevy, had to be extricated by firefighters from Riverside, Lyons and McCook. Ambulances from Lyons, Berwyn, Brookfield, North Riverside and the Pleasantview Fire Protection District responded to the scene and transported crash victims to Loyola and MacNeal hospitals.
Other details regarding how the crash unfolded are still unclear. Riverside police are being assisted by the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force (WESTAF) Major Crash Investigation Team, which is handling the crash reconstruction.
No citations or criminal charges were announced, but that could change depending on the outcome of the crash reconstruction investigation.
It is unknown at this time to what extent, if any, drugs, alcohol or speed played a role in the crash.
First Avenue was shut down to traffic between Ogden and Forest avenues until about 1 a.m. on May 1 as police processed the crash scene.
