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NU staffer struck by car on Sheridan Road dies

By Grace Johnson

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Published: Thursday, November 12, 2009

Updated: Friday, November 13, 2009

The Northwestern staff member struck by a car on Sheridan Road more than two weeks ago died this week due to complications from her injuries, said Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington.

Mavis Sotnick, 71, an employee of the Kellogg School of Management, died Wednesday evening at 7:56 p.m., reported Evanston Review. Sotnick’s death is a result of multiple injuries including head trauma and pneumonia sustained from respirator use, Eddington said. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office is conducting an investigation to determine the exact cause of death.

It is still unclear whether charges will be brought against the driver of the vehicle implicated in the accident, Eddington said.

“The case is still under review at this point, but it is unlikely charges will be filed,” he said. “Evanston police will be conducting another review into the incident.”

Sotnick was struck by a Mercedes-Benz around 7 p.m. on Oct. 27 when she was walking westbound across Sheridan Road near Foster Street, police said. She was then taken to Evanston Hospital, 2650 Ridge Ave. The vehicle was believed to be traveling at the legal speed limit between 25 and 30 mph at the time, police said.

Sotnick, born in England, worked as a concierge at the Kellogg reception desk for the last three years. Before that, she worked in the James L. Allen Center, 2169 Campus Drive, for 10 years where one of her duties was to give tours to prospective students, Sotnick said in a June 2006 interview with The Link, a Kellogg publication. She would spend more than a half hour with new students, she told The Link.

Sotnick will be remembered at a service Friday at 11 a.m. at Temple Beth Israel, 3601 West Dempster St., in Skokie.

 

gracejohnson2007@u.northwestern.edu

Comments

9 comments
Your name
Mon Nov 16 2009 13:00
The issue of paying attention goes both ways. I walk and cycle around Evanston and I've been nearly hit twice by distracted drivers. Once, crossing on a pedestrian signal, a women yapping one her cell phone let go of the break pedal and I had to jump away to avoid being hit by her car. On another occasion, stopped on my bicycle at a red light, a van grazed by elbow because the driver miscalculated the stop.

Having said that, the importance of lights cannot be underestimated. There are plenty of studies about how our eyes adapt to darkness (and how darkness affects depth perception and peripheral vision, which might have had an impact on both the driver and Mavis) and how drivers are affected by changes in light, for example, if they were momentarily blinded by the lights of a car driving in the opposite direction. Add to that all the distractions in a newer car (navigation system, sometimes even DVD players) and simple tiredness after a work day.

I hope the speed limit is lowered on this stretch of Sheridan, as well as good lights added. Drivers: as an experiment, try to drive at the current speed limit (30mph) and count how many cars pass you by...

Lauren
Mon Nov 16 2009 09:35
i thought this story was sad.
then i realized that i knew who this woman was and it became even more sad.
R.I.P. Mavis
Your name
Sun Nov 15 2009 19:51
Not to detract from the tragedy of someone being killed, but I feel the need to reply to the proposed solutions of more traffic signals, street lights and slower speeds because the real issue here is really about paying attention. I cannot tell you the countless times I've seen people of all ages nearly annihilated because they either didn't want to wait for the traffic light or were afraid to miss the bus or simply assumed that because the light was green that they could cross without looking. Oh, and don't even get me started on all the fact that several of the younger generations were under headphones or texting while these careless acts occurred!
NU staff member
Fri Nov 13 2009 16:32
The comment about lighting is completely on point. The stretch of Sheridan by Northwestern is no worse than, say Sherman between Clark and Davis in terms of pedestrian traffic, but it is pitch dark at night and cars speed by (30mph is too high a limit -- dropping it to 20mph would be appropriate). How much can a few extra lights cost?
Alum
Fri Nov 13 2009 14:49
This is such a sad tragedy...Mavis, your presence lit up the hallways of Jacobs even during the darkest winter days. You will be missed by the entire Kellogg community. Rest in peace.
Riley
Fri Nov 13 2009 13:59
Mavis will truely be missed. She was such a nice person who was always cheerful, offering chocolate to all who passed her desk. R.I.P.
Your name
Fri Nov 13 2009 11:34
Honestly, more important than traffic lights on Sheridan is improving the lighting -- I'm nervous going 15 mph after dark down that road because you simply can't see pedestrians (especially when they're jaywalking) until you're very, VERY close. Traffic lights won't solve the problem of visibility (which, as a driver, I feel is the more important issue here) -- and if pedestrians can actually be SEEN on Sheridan (rather than presently possessing the ability to appear out of thin air), the roads would be a lot safer for everyone.
Your name
Thu Nov 12 2009 20:48
Sheridan Road should definitely have more traffic lights and police monitoring for speed, especially at night. Often times I'll see cars speed down the road which is really dangerous since so many pedestrians cross Sheridan.
Brian Rosenthal
Thu Nov 12 2009 19:47
This is not the first tragedy to take place on that stretch of Sheridan Road, and it won't be the last. How many more accidents need to happen until something is done?

City officials say they are working on increasing safety on Sheridan. Isn't it time they started working faster?







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