Chicago woman charged in October death of cyclist killed in Lincoln Square

Alysa Guffey, Chicago Tribune
·2 min read

A Chicago woman is facing charges for the death of a 52-year-old cyclist killed after being hit in a bike lane in Lincoln Square, Chicago police said.

Kali Rynearson, 30, of the North Center neighborhood, faces one felony count of aggravated DUI along with six traffic violations and an ordinance violation, according to police.

Donald Heggemann, a 59-year-old ceramist from the Edgewater neighborhood, was hit and killed on the night of Oct. 23 in the 5100 block of North Damen Avenue in the Lincoln Square neighborhood, according to police. Heggemann served as an office administrator for Northeastern Illinois University’s Department of Art and Design and studied ceramics at the school, according to the university.

Witnesses flagged down police after Heggemann, who was riding northbound in the bike lane, was struck by a Volvo driven by Rynearson driving in the same direction, according to a police report. Officers tracked the car down and pulled over Rynearson, who consented to a Breathalyzer test. The test results showed Rynearson had a 0.20% blood alcohol content, more than twice the legal limit, according to the report.

Heggemann was one of three cyclists to die in Cook County over three weeks in October. In early October, 16-year-old Josh Anleu was hit and killed riding his bike in his Portage Park neighborhood. The morning of Oct. 24, 52-year-old James Bowan, of the Belmont Cragin neighborhood, was hit and killed by a vehicle in Melrose Park.

After the Oct. 23 crash, Ald. Andre Vasquez, 40th, who represents Lincoln Square and Edgewater, said his office was in contact with the city’s Department of Transportation to implement safety measures for cyclists and pedestrians.

“Everyone deserves safe streets, and our office is committed to ensuring that we do everything we can to protect bicyclists and pedestrians in our ward,” he said.