Late Friday night in the heart of Chicago’s South Side, a collision near West 75th Street and South Vincennes Avenue turned an ordinary evening into a nightmare for families and witnesses alike. Around 9:30 p.m., a 37-year-old woman was travelling westbound in a grey Buick sedan when she attempted to turn south onto Vincennes. According to the Chicago Police Department, she failed to yield and struck a black Dodge travelling eastbound.
The impact was brutal. The Dodge was hurled into a parked grey Mercedes-Benz, untouched up until that point, piling devastation onto the already chaotic scene. Witnesses described debris everywhere, parts of vehicles strewn across the street, and at least two people forcefully ejected from the Dodge.
Tragically, two of the Dodge’s passengers lost their lives. The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office later identified them as 20-year-old Matthew Cuadra and 18-year-old April M. Valencia, both from Lansing. They were rushed to the University of Chicago Medical Center but were pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Also inside that vehicle were three others: the Dodge’s driver (a 26-year-old man), a 25-year-old woman, and a 15-year-old girl. While shaken and injured, their injuries were reported as non-life-threatening. Among them was April Valencia’s sister, Jackie, who remains in critical condition, and whose presence at the scene transforms this from a mere traffic tragedy into a brutal blow to a family.
Meanwhile, the driver of the Buick was cited for failing to yield while making a left turn. Beyond that citation, authorities said no further charges have been announced yet. Investigators with the CPD’s Major Accidents Investigation Unit spent hours at the scene under bright floodlights documenting the wreckage and debris, working to determine whether speed, distraction or impairment played a role.
The loss of Matthew and April has stunned their loved ones and the community alike. The two were young, with entire lives ahead of them, and now those plans and bright futures are cut short. A family is left to pick up the pieces, grappling with grief, recovery for the injured sister, and mounting medical and funeral expenses. Emotional and financial burdens now share space in homes forever changed.
Ultimately, this crash is a stark reminder that in an instant, a wrong turn or moment’s inattention can upend lives. On a quiet Friday night, in a neighborhood familiar to so many, two young people are gone and three others carry scars — some visible, others not. As the investigation continues, questions linger: Was it simply a turning mistake or something more? Whatever the technical details, the human toll is unmistakable—and heart-breaking.
