The driver of a taxi that fatally struck a pedestrian Monday in the Streeterville neighborhood was previously involved in at least three accidents, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
Yao Ofori, 71, received more than 30 citations between 1988 and 2010, records show, including tickets for running red lights, blowing through stop signs, speeding, improper lane changes and obstructing traffic.
He was involved in a crash at Wabash and Erie on August 28, 2007, according to the Secretary of State. A woman was injured, treated and released. Ofori received a ticket, but it was later dismissed.
On Dec 31, 2007, he was cited for making an improper turn, and on Jan. 4, 2010, he was ticketed for making an improper lane change.
Ofori's cab apparently lost control Monday morning at Illinois and Columbus avenues and slammed into a wall near the garage of the Embassy Suites.
A witness told NBC Chicago the cab was speeding east on Illinois and cut off another cab. The cab skidded sideways and hit a man on the north side on the street. A female passenger in the back seat of the cab was seriously injured.
The victim, a man in his 40s whose name has not yet been publicly released, worked as a dishwasher at the Navy Pier seafood store, Rivas. He'd only been working there about a month, one colleague, Antonio Orellas, told NBC Chicago.
Orellas said the victim kept to himself and never talked about where he was from, but he said he was a hard worker and a nice person.
"When we found out it was one of our own, we were just devastated. He's part of the family. Even though he's been here for a short time, he's part of the family," said the restaurant's general manager, Frank D'angelo.
Ofori was ticketed for driving too fast for road conditions and not showing due care for a pedestrian in the roadway.
