The woman was crossing the street in the 4200 block of West Madison Street shortly before 10 p.m. when a white sedan struck her, police said. The driver did not stop and fled the scene, leaving the woman with severe injuries.

Paramedics took her to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police had not publicly released her name as of Thursday morning.

Area Four detectives are investigating the crash. No description of the driver or the vehicle beyond its color was immediately available, and no arrests had been announced.

The death adds to a grim toll on the city's West Side, where residents and safe-streets advocates have long pressed for slower traffic, better-lit crossings and stronger enforcement along busy commercial corridors like Madison Street. Hit-and-run crashes are particularly difficult for families and investigators, because the person responsible leaves the scene and often the evidence behind.

Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact Area Four detectives or submit an anonymous tip through Chicago police's community reporting channels.