State Senator's Brother Victim of Hit-and-Run
The brother of a state senator is being treated for serious injuries suffered after he was struck by a hit-and-run driver who flew through an intersection outside a South Side polling station.
The victim flew into the air and landed on the car before the driver sped off, Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Jim Allen said.
The victim was identified as Martin Munoz, the brother of State Sen. Antonio Munoz. Munoz, 40, suffered head lacerations and serious leg injuries. He was on his way to vote.
The accident happened just before 6 a.m. outside Balzekas Motor sales where a polling location was being set up, said Robert Balzekas, an employee of the Brighton Park neighborhood dealership. Balzekas said Munoz was crossing Archer north toward the polling site when a Nissan struck him traveling between 30 and 40 mph.
"I heard screeching, then I saw the victim [Munoz] hit by the car do two somersaults...he went up 15 to 20 feet," said Balzekas. "The guy was in really bad shape."
Responding Chicago paramedics rushed the victim to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was in surgery this morning
An elections investigator chased the driver and took down his license plate number as he sped off after the accident. Chicago Police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli said that police found the car and are speaking to a "person of interest."
Posted by Shane Alan Andersen
