Family sues driver in fatal Bronzeville hit-and-run

The family of a man killed in a Bronzeville neighborhood crash last month is suing the man accused of running away from the scene.

Kristen Smith, the mother of Leonard Olson’s 16-year-old son, filed the suit Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court.

Just before 2 p.m. July 22, Olson was driving a pickup on Indiana Avenue when a westbound cargo van ran the red light and slammed into his truck at 33rd Street, according to Chicago Police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The van’s driver, 27-year-old Wilson G. Jones, abandoned the vehicle and ran away, police allege.

Olson, a Schaumburg resident, was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died less than an hour later, authorities said. He is survived by his son, parents and three siblings who live in the northwest suburbs, according to the lawsuit.

Two days after the crash, Jones was arrested and charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident, and ticketed for disobeying a red light and speeding.

Jones, who lives in the 400 block of East Oakwood, was released from jail July 25 on electronic monitoring after posting 10 percent of a $75,000 bond, court records show. His next court date is Aug. 12.

The negligence suit filed by Smith seeks more than $50,000 in damages.