Baby in crash dies; homicide charges considered

A baby delivered after a crash that killed his mother died this morning, as investigators considered homicide charges against a driver of a minivan who allegedly ran a red light.

Doctors at Stroger Hospital delivered the boy by Cesarean section after Wedneday's crash. He was listed in "extremely critical" condition and died just before noon today, according to hospital officials.

"The baby suffered injuries (from the crash) in addition to being premature," said Stroger Hospital spokesman Marcel Bright. The boy had been 6 or 7 months along.

His mother, Kim Brown, 27, of the 4900 block of West Cortez Street, was pronounced dead shortly after the surgery.

The driver of the minivan, a 39-year-old man from the West Side, was taken to Loretto Hospital after Wednesday's crash and was in police custody this morning, authorities said.

He has so far been cited for running a red light, driving on a revoked license and driving without insurance. Even before the baby died, police had been seeking reckless homicide charges against the man. The Cook County state's attorney's office is looking into the case, officials said.

The driver cited in the crash has been previously convicted 15 times for driving without a license, or on a suspended or revoked license, and has not been properly licensed since September 2002, according to the Illinois secretary of state's office. His license has also been suspended twice for driving without insurance, once in the case of accident.

The accident occurred around 11:30 a.m. when a Ford van heading east on Washington collided with the Chrysler Town and Country minivan that was heading south on Kostner and ran a red light, police said.

Brown was walking with a woman and two children when they were struck. The 30-year-old woman and two girls, ages 3 and 1, were in good condition at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Kim Brown's grandmother, Ivie Brown, said she'll be caring for her granddaughter's five children. The children, three boys and two girls, range from 3 to 12 years old.

Ivie Brown said she hasn't told the two youngest children, ages 3 and 6, about their mother's death. As for the other three children --ages 9, 11 and 12-- "it hasn't really hit them yet," Ivie Brown said.

She said her granddaughter was a great mother who loved being with her family. She said Kim Brown was a stay-at-home mother.

Asked about the driver who caused the crash, Ivie Brown said, "It's not going to bring her back."

--Jeremy Gorner and Evangeline Leventis Lourgos