TikTok Livestream Precedes Fatal Pedestrian Crash
Authorities in the Chicago suburb of Zion are investigating a horrific incident where a woman allegedly struck and killed a man while she was broadcasting live on TikTok. The crash, which occurred on Monday evening, claimed the life of 59-year-old Darren Lucas from nearby Beach Park.
The Disturbing Video Evidence
A screen recording of the TikTok Live, reportedly streamed by user 'Tea_Tyme_3', has since circulated online. The video shows the woman speaking into her camera while driving before a loud impact is heard. She is then heard reacting with expletives before stating, "I just hit somebody." The live stream was abruptly ended. According to a Reddit user who witnessed the broadcast, the driver "wasn't paying attention to the road because she was reading comments and grinning at her phone".
The Zion police department investigations commander, Lt Paul Kehrli, confirmed that the 43-year-old female driver remained at the scene. In a significant development, he stated that drugs and alcohol were not suspected as factors in the crash. The Lake County State’s Attorney’s office has been made aware of the video but cannot comment further due to the ongoing investigation.
A Family's Grief and a Community in Shock
The local coroner’s office confirmed that Darren Lucas was pronounced dead at a hospital emergency room from blunt force injuries. The crash happened at approximately 5:30 pm on Monday.
In a statement to the press, Lucas's son-in-law, Chris King, expressed the family's profound sorrow. He said news of the TikTok video made the family "hold our loss tighter to our hearts". King added that they are "trying to find our ways to live, without someone we cherished so much" and that they would pray for the driver.
The incident has sparked fresh concerns about the dangers of distracted driving. Studies have consistently linked mobile phone use at the wheel to a significantly increased risk of serious collisions. The user involved has since made her TikTok account private and changed her profile name.
