Name: ‘She advocates for people on bikes’: Avid cyclist hit by carjacked Buick in Avondale, leaving her in critical condition and police searching for SUV
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‘She advocates for people on bikes’: Avid cyclist hit by carjacked Buick in Avondale, leaving her in critical condition and police searching for SUV

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AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 18, 2021 at 5:20 pmChicago police are asking for the public’s help identifying the driver of a recently carjacked SUV that hit a bicyclist, running her over and leaving her critically injured last week before fleeing.A dark gray or black Buick Enclave was traveling north in the 3500 block of North Kimball Avenue about 2:20 p.m. Feb. 10 in Avondale when the collision happened, according to police. As the Buick approached Addison Street, it was in the left lane of traffic and made a right turn onto Addison, heading east, police say.AdvertisementThe cyclist, 31-year-old Alexandra Lee Betzel, was also traveling north on Kimball to the right of the Buick. Betzel was struck by the vehicle as it turned right from the left of two lanes, sideswiping her and running her over, according to a police report. Two tires rolled over her chest and face, Betzel’s family said, leaving her with bruised lungs, a broken orbital bone and a damaged rib cage that required more than five hours of surgery this week.Betzel was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in critical condition, where she remains in the ICU on a ventilator. She was wearing a helmet and does not appear to have suffered any long-term brain or skull damage, the family said Thursday.AdvertisementThe Buick did not stop and fled east on Addison, witnesses told police, where the driver ran a red light at Elston Avenue and a camera snapped a photo of the license plate.Police say the vehicle was stolen Feb. 6, four days before the crash, in a carjacking in the 3300 block of West Belmont Avenue in Avondale. A woman was in a parking lot about 1:25 p.m. when another woman gained access to the driver’s side of the SUV and sped off with an 8-year-old boy in the back seat. The 8-year-old jumped out of the Buick at Belmont and Kimball avenues, just a half-mile from where the collision with Betzel would later take place. Neither victim was seriously injured, though the woman was taken to Illinois Masonic. Police said anyone can call 911 if they locate the vehicle, which may be useful in the hit-and-run probe. Callers should give a description of its location, direction of travel, license plate and occupants. Detectives from the major accidents investigation unit can be contacted at 312-745-4521, or anonymously at .Cycling is Betzel’s primary form of transportation and she’s very safe and always wears protective gear, her father said.“She’s a very caring, loving child. Who’s not such a child anymore, a woman I should say,” Shaun Betzel said in an interview Thursday. “She advocates for people on bikes. She advocates for all sorts of people.” Betzel grew up in the La Grange area and is a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in business-economics. She works at WTTW-Ch. 11 in a fundraising capacity . An activist and attendee of protests, she also works a side job as a seamstress , a clothing and tailor shop that customizes clothes for LGBT people whose body types and style are often overlooked by major clothing retailers, according to the store’s website.“Last March when the pandemic hit, she sewed masks for her teammates and delivered them on her bike,” WTTW said in a statement. “All of us at WTTW and WFMT are sending loving and healing wishes for her recovery. Alex is positive and strong, so we hope, pray, and believe she will pull through this.”Because of COVID-19 restrictions at the hospital, only two visitors in total are allowed to see Betzel in the ICU, where she is communicating with hand signals, occasional whispers and written messages when her pain medication allows enough clarity, according to her sister. Betzel’s girlfriend and mother have been splitting shifts at her bedside.Advertisement“We’ve been able to FaceTime, which is interesting because she can’t talk. Communicating with written messages and hand gestures,” Joanna Blazek said Thursday. “It was really good when we could finally FaceTime with her. At first I felt kind of numb from it, because I didn’t know what state she was in, you know?” has been launched by Betzel’s girlfriend, comedian Megan Brennan, to cover medical expenses and potential future therapy. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised more than $35,000.“She’s the most thoughtful person. She’s very kind and so funny and laid back,” Brennan said in an interview. “I think about this experience, the thing I take away is how much she cares about everybody in her life. She’s always thinking of them.”Betzel’s generous spirit and warm heart might be an apple not far from the tree: At the end of Thursday’s interview, her father expressed his thanks to the witnesses who worked with police and stayed close to Betzel before emergency medical services arrived.“We’re very appreciative of that,” he said.AdvertisementTwitter Advertisement

AdvertisementBy Chicago TribuneFeb 18, 2021 at 5:20 pmChicago police are asking for the public’s help identifying the driver of a recently carjacked SUV that hit a bicyclist, running her over and leaving her critically injured last week before fleeing.A dark gray or black Buick Enclave was traveling north in the 3500 block of North Kimball Avenue about 2:20 p.m. Feb. 10 in Avondale when the collision happened, according to police. As the Buick approached Addison Street, it was in the left lane of traffic and made a right turn onto Addison, heading east, police say.AdvertisementThe cyclist,...

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Charles J. Johnson

The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are named), it remains the most-read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region. It had the 6th highest circulation for American newspapers in 2017.

‘She advocates for people on bikes’: Avid cyclist hit by carjacked Buick in Avondale, leaving her in critical condition and police searching for SUV

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