1 dead, 2 hurt after tire blows, sending it crashing into tree in Wrightwood

A man was killed and two others injured Wednesday after a tire on their vehicle blew out and then crashed into a tree in Wrightwood on the Southwest Side.

The trio were eastbound in a 2020 Dodge Durango about 9:35 p.m. when one of the SUV’s back tires blew out, sending the SUV up a sidewalk in the 2700 block of West 82nd Street, Chicago police said.

The Dodge struck a light pole before slamming into a tree, police said.

A passenger, 23-year-old Jameel Brown, was pronounced dead at the scene, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

An autopsy confirmed he died of multiple injuries from the crash, the medical examiner’s office said. His death was ruled an accident.

The driver, a 22-year-old man, and a boy, 15, were both taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, police said. The 15-year-old was in critical condition with internal injuries, while the 22-year-old suffered facial injuries and was in fair condition.

Police sources said no one was wearing a seat belt.

Chicago police’s Major Accidents Unit is investigating.