Local
Oak Park family seeks accountability after pedestrian dies in cement-truck collision
Ann Marie LoPrieno, 71, was killed while walking to a bakery in Oak Park on Sept. 23. Her family is considering legal action as the truck driver faces a citation and the village says it remains committed to its pedestrian-safety goals.
Ann Marie LoPrieno was walking to a bakery she visited regularly when a cement truck struck and killed her at North Boulevard and Euclid Avenue in Oak Park on the morning of Sept. 23, authorities said. She was 71.
The collision happened outside the Oak Park Fire Department. The village said the truck driver had been leaving a job site on Oak Park Avenue and stayed at the scene. He was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian and was due in court later in October.
LoPrieno’s family is considering legal action. Attorney Louis Anthony Cairo, who represents the family, said footage he reviewed showed LoPrieno, who used a cane, trying to get out of the truck’s path. He said the family wants those responsible held accountable.
The crash has also renewed attention to pedestrian safety amid nearby construction. Haylee Johnson, a manager at Courageous Bakery, said LoPrieno was a familiar presence whose warmth was known to the staff. Johnson said construction in the area had been underway since December and brought many construction trucks through the neighborhood, affecting residents and businesses.
The village said it had not ordered work to stop in the area and that pedestrian safety remains a priority. Oak Park’s Vision Zero plan sets a goal of eliminating deaths and serious injuries on village streets by 2035, using data, community input and recommended safety measures.
LoPrieno was pursuing a Ph.D. at Trident University International, which will award the degree posthumously, her family said. Her sister-in-law, Patricia, recalled that LoPrieno regularly carried a backpack filled with books. The family donated about 25 of her backpacks to a shelter in Elgin.