Driver Sought In I-90 Hit-And-Run

Chicago Lawyer Killed In Hit-And-Run

POSTED: 9:59 am CST February 3, 2004

UPDATED: 5:35 pm CST February 3, 2004

CHICAGO -- One person was killed in a three-vehicle crash on the Kennedy Expressway near Irving Park Road late Monday night, and the motorist who caused the accident and fled on foot was being sought by state police Tuesday, reported NBC5's Lisa Tutman.

The accident occurred at 10:22 p.m. Monday and involved two cars and a tractor-trailer in the southbound lanes, said Chicago District state police acting Master Sgt. Roy Cameron. No one else was injured, he added.

The driver of a 1995 Buick LeSabre struck the rear end of a 2004 Saturn and caused it to spin out, according to an Illinois State Police District Chicago trooper. The driver's side of the Saturn, which spun out due to the initial collision as well as wet pavement, struck the rear of the truck parked on the right shoulder. There was extensive damage to both cars, which had to be towed from the scene, the trooper said.

The man driving the Saturn was killed, the trooper said. He was identified as 29-year-old Chicago lawyer Michael Massing.

Massing was wearing his seat belt when his driver's side door crashed into the tractor-trailer. Officials said the rear-warning lights of the rig were blinking. The driver of the truck was not seriously injured, and apparently, neither was the driver who allegedly caused the accident.

The truck was parked on the shoulder due to mechanical problems, the state trooper said. He did not know what those problems were, but the crash did not affect the driving ability of the truck. The hazard lights on the truck were on, he added.

The trooper did not have a description of the driver of the LeSabre. He did not know if alcohol or drugs were a factor in the collision. Police were still investigating whether the vehicles were speeding. The trooper said that early reports indicated that the Saturn did not cut in front of the LeSabre.

While no suspect is in custody, Illinois State Police said they have some significant leads and they may be close to making an arrest in the case. It remains unclear if drugs, alcohol, high speed or the weather played a part in the accident, but officials said the suspect left behind a huge clue: the LeSabre he was driving.

Massing was pronounced dead at 11:25 p.m. Monday at Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, the spokesman said.