Wrong-way driver in Chicago causes crash, killing 2 and injuring 16 

A car speeding down a street in the wrong direction on Wednesday in Chicago caused a major crash at an intersection, killing two and injuring 16 others, authorities said. 

The Dodge Charger was going “at a very high rate of speed” in the traffic’s opposite direction in Chicago’s South Side at around 5 p.m., Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said at a news conference. 

When it entered an intersection, the speeding car hit seven other vehicles and pedestrians and caught on fire. The two individuals inside the Charger died. 

PHOTOS: 2 killed, 10 injured in eight-vehicle crash in Burnside, via @cindylu_7 and @mannycam here at the @Suntimes. #Chicago #ChicagoScannerhttps://t.co/YjjTDWIBPr pic.twitter.com/l1JWTsGGpy

— Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere (@TylerLaRiviere) November 24, 2022

Sixteen people were injured as a result of the crash, including seven children. Those injured were taken to nearby hospitals. 

"This is a really bad crash," Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said. "I've seen many, many -- and this is among the worst."

As of Thursday, 11 people were still in the hospital. Four people have life-threatening injuries, one person is in serious but stable condition, and five people have non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Chicago Fire Department. 

Update: 87th & Cottage has 10 total transports (men, women, & children) to various hospitals; 4 Red, 5 Green, & 1 Yellow as well as 2 deceased. pic.twitter.com/SAKrkJ5tEh

— Chicago Fire Media (@CFDMedia) November 23, 2022

According to Brown, the Charger had been stolen in Markham, a suburb south of Chicago’s downtown, on Wednesday. Authorities found a rifle inside the car. 

“Obviously this is a horrible tragedy coming as it does on the eve of Thanksgiving,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at the news conference. “When you’re going at that high rate of speed, anyone that you hit, whether it’s a car or a pedestrian, you significantly diminish their ability to survive.”

The incident is being investigated by police.