Man struck and killed by driver’s mirror in Elk Grove Village

A pedestrian died after he was struck by a vehicle’s sideview mirror Thursday in northwest suburban Elk Grove Village.

Gerald Frens, 75, was standing near a curb at the intersection of Walnut and Maple lanes and when he was struck in the head by the mirror of a turning Chevy Suburban, Elk Grove police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

Frens was awake and talking with first responders, who took him at 4 p.m. to Alexian Brothers Hospital in Elk Grove Village, authorities said.

His condition worsened at the hospital and required surgery, police said. He died Friday at 8:20 p.m. Frens lived in the same block where he was struck by the vehicle, the medical examiner’s office said.

An autopsy released Saturday said Frens died of closed head injuries from being struck by a motor vehicle. His death was ruled an accident.

The driver of the Suburban, a 63-year-old man from Elk Grove Village, was cited for driving without insurance and improper turning, police said.