University of Chicago professor fatally struck by SUV

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A University of Chicago Medicine professor was fatally struck by an SUV Wednesday morning near Jackson Park on the South Side.

Dr. Gary Toback, 74, was in the crosswalk crossing 67th Street at Bennett Avenue about 6:40 a.m. when he was struck by a 2016 Jeep Cherokee heading east on 67th, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

Toback, who lived in the 6800 block of South Constance, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:04 a.m., the medical examiner’s office said. An autopsy Thursday ruled he died of multiple injuries he suffered in the crash and his death was ruled an accident.

The 40-year-old woman driving the Jeep and a 2-year-old girl passenger were taken to Comer Children’s Hospital for evaluation, police said. They did not have any visible injuries.

She was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian in the roadway, and is scheduled to appear in traffic court Aug. 18, police said.

“We have lost an institutional leader who represented the University of Chicago’s values and aspirations,” a statement from University of Chicago Medicine said.

“Dr. Gary Toback was a professor in the Department of Medicine who joined our faculty in 1974, served as interim nephrology chief from 2009 to 2015, and conducted world-renowned research on renal growth factors. He was a treasured colleague, friend, mentor, leader and physician.”

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