Woman Hurt in 2-Vehicle Crash on 159th St. (Update)

UPDATED (10:05 a.m. Thursday, June 13): Information from Joan Bravo, the mother of the injured driver.

Rescue crews needed to extricate a woman, and she was taken to the hospital by ambulance Wednesday after an accident between the green, 4-door sedan she was driving and a white Cadillac SUV at the intersection of 159th Street and Laramie Avenue, according to eye witnesses.

Julie Bravo, of Oak Forest, was taken to South Suburban Hospital and suffered a fractured left thumb and airbag burns to both forearms and her right hand, according to her mother, Joan Bravo. Julie was released Wednesday evening.

Julie Bravo's young son also was in the back seat of the sedan, but he was unhurt, said Joan Bravo, who picked up the boy at the scene. 

"The angels were watching over them today," she told Patch. "It could have been so much worse."

READ: 3-Car Accident at Same Intersection Leaves Chicago Woman Injured in March

According to Joan Bravo, the driver of the white SUV ran a red light and hit her daughter's car.

The accident happened a little after 2:15 p.m., according to the manager of a nearby Dunkin' Donuts, who called 911 after she and the donut shop's customers heard the crash.

"There was a loud bang, and we saw car parts flying," said a witness who was exiting Dunkin' Donuts. She explained that a bush was blocking her line of sight with the crash, but the airborne debris from the accident was visible above the bush.

Oak Forest Fire Department crews were able to rescue the woman from her car and move her to the ambulance in about 15 to 20 minutes, according to witnesses. Workers began cleaning up the scene and removing the vehicles after about 40 minutes.

That intersection is a particularly hazardous one, the woman stated, adding that accidents occur as drivers turn on to 159th Street from the business along the roadway and from Laramie Avenue.

In March, a 69-year-old Chicago woman was injured and ticketed after a three-car accident at the intersection.

Patch will continue to update this story.