The death of Ann Marie LoPrieno occurred as Oak Park works toward eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2035.
OAK PARK, Ill. — The death of a 71-year-old pedestrian struck by a concrete truck has drawn renewed attention to street safety and construction traffic in Oak Park, where officials have pledged to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2035.
Ann Marie LoPrieno was crossing North Boulevard at Euclid Avenue shortly before 9 a.m. Sept. 23 when she was hit by a concrete truck, according to the Village of Oak Park. Paramedics transported her in critical condition to Loyola University Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 9:17 a.m. The truck was operated by a supplier working on the village’s ongoing Oak Park Avenue streetscape project and had been traveling from that job site.
The driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators, village officials said. NBC Chicago later reported that the driver received a citation for failure to yield to a pedestrian and is due in court later in October. No criminal charges have been announced in the reports reviewed for this story, and authorities have not released a complete public reconstruction of the collision.
The crash comes as Oak Park implements its Vision Zero Action Plan, which the Village Board adopted in February 2025. The plan sets a goal of consistently reaching zero traffic deaths or serious injuries by 2035 and calls for a combination of street design changes, traffic enforcement, data analysis, safer walking and bicycling networks and a rapid response to fatal crashes.
Village officials said after LoPrieno’s death that no specific changes had yet been made in response to the collision and that no stop-work order had been issued in the area. The village said pedestrian safety remains a priority and that officials continue to look for ways to improve conditions. That response leaves open questions about whether the fatal collision will lead to changes involving construction traffic, the intersection or other parts of the surrounding street network.
Oak Park had already been expanding traffic-calming measures before the September collision. During the summer, the village said it was installing dozens of speed cushions and traffic diverters as part of its Vision Zero work and an updated bicycle plan. Those measures were aimed largely at slowing vehicles, reducing through traffic and improving crossings on designated neighborhood greenways.
The Sept. 23 crash occurred at North Boulevard and Euclid Avenue, near Oak Park Fire Department facilities and close to rail and transit infrastructure. Euclid Avenue was closed between Lake Street and South Boulevard for about five hours during the preliminary investigation before reopening shortly after 2 p.m.
LoPrieno had been headed to Courageous Bakery, where employees knew her as a regular customer. Bakery manager Haylee Johnson told NBC Chicago that construction had affected the area and brought numerous construction trucks through nearby streets. Her comments provided a local view of the traffic conditions surrounding the project but did not establish what caused the fatal collision.
The death also left a personal loss beyond the traffic-safety debate. LoPrieno was pursuing a doctorate at Trident University International, and NBC Chicago reported that the university will award the degree posthumously. Relatives described her as an enthusiastic reader who routinely carried several books and continued studying at 71.
Her family is considering legal action, according to NBC Chicago. Attorney Louis Anthony Cairo of GWC Law said video of the collision should be examined as responsibility is determined. No civil lawsuit was reported as filed in the latest available coverage, and the village’s initial public statement said the police investigation was continuing.
The case now sits at the intersection of an individual traffic investigation and Oak Park’s longer-term safety commitments. The driver’s traffic citation is expected to move into court later this month, while officials have not announced any crash-specific street or construction changes. The village’s stated Vision Zero goal remains zero deaths or serious injuries on Oak Park streets by 2035.
Author note: Last updated October 18, 2026.