CHICAGO — The family of a 25-year-old Wicker Park woman killed while riding a Divvy bike in 2016 — the nation’s first bike-share fatality — was awarded $5.25 million by a Cook County jury this week.
Virginia “Ginny” Murray was hit by a turning flatbed truck at the intersection of Belmont and Sacramento avenues in Avondale on July 1, 2016.
Her family’s lawsuit argued the driver for A&B Hardwood Flooring Supplies was negligent in failing to keep a proper lookout for bicyclists and failing to yield the right of way as he made a right turn and hit Murray.
Murray pounded on the side of the truck to alert the driver just before her death, her lawyers said.
The jury deliberated for less than two hours before returning the verdict, according to the Kaveny & Kroll law firm, which represented Murray’s family.
“We all have to become better at sharing the roadways – pedestrians, motorists, motorcyclists, cyclists and truck drivers,” said attorney Jeff Kroll. “With today’s infrastructure, we need to better respect our fellow travelers. When you have an eight-ton truck and a Divvy bicycle on the same roadway, in the same intersection, it’s a recipe for disaster. Drivers have to be more conscientious of cyclists and pedestrians.”
Murray grew up in Edgebrook and was a graduate of St. Ignatius High School and the University of Illinois. She had just left her job at Blue Cross Blue Shield to return to college. She planned to get a masters degree in library science, hoping to eventually help children in underserved communities, family friends said.
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