2 Men Dead In Separate Crashes On Kennedy And Tri-State

ILLINOIS — A fatal day on the Kennedy Expressway and Tri-State left two people dead after separate crashes on Thursday, according to the Illinois State Police.

At about 5:20 a.m., a tollway maintenance truck was traveling southbound on Interstate 294 near Alsip when a Ford Escape rear-ended the truck. The impact started a fire, killing the Ford's 36-year-old driver. The driver has not yet been identified.

While that crash caused all but one southbound lane to close until 9 a.m., another crash on the Kennedy Expressway diverted northbound traffic lanes until 2:30 Friday morning.

On the Northwest Side, a motorcyclist lost control and hit a car, causing him to be ejected from his Yamaha and land in the way of oncoming traffic on the expressway. The motorcyclist was identified as 27-year-old Kevin Nitsch, of Schaumburg, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. He died from his injuries at a local hospital.

State troopers are looking for the other vehicle involved in Nitsch's crash, which drove away after the incident.