Man, 79, dies of injuries in South Chicago Heights crash

A 79-year-old man died Tuesday of injuries he suffered in a crash nearly two weeks ago in South Chicago Heights.

Leonard Cooper was driving east on Sauk Trail near Chicago Road in South Chicago Heights about 4 p.m. on June 8 when his car sideswiped another car, according to South Chicago Heights Police Chief Bill Joyce. Cooper’s car then went over the nearby railroad tracks, across the street and slammed into a utility pole before flipping over.

He was out of his car and across the street from the crash with a group of bystanders by the time emergency crews arrived, Joyce said. He was taken to St. James Health in Olympia Fields before being transferred to Stroger Hospital.

Cooper, who lived in Park Forest, was pronounced dead at 5:33 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office said. An autopsy found he died of complications of multiple injuries from the crash and his death was ruled an accident.