June 08--A 73-year-old man and a 72-year-old woman were killed Sunday afternoon when the man's car crashed into a tree on the South Side in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood.
The accident happened shortly after 2:30 p.m. near 57th Drive and Hyde Park Boulevard close to the Museum of Science and Industry, said Officer Jose Estrada, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.
According to preliminary information, the man was westbound on 57th Street when his car veered off the road and struck a tree. The man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene, Estrada said, citing preliminary information.
The two were identified as Wilbon B. McClerkin and Winnie Mae Cole-McClerkin, both of the 8400 block of South Marquette Road, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The car came to rest with its front end smashed into a tree on the northeast corner of 57th and Hyde Park. A crowd of about 30 onlookers gathered as fire trucks stood by. Both of the front doors appeared to have been removed from the car and lay in front of it.
The Chicago Police Department Major Accident and Investigation Unit was investigating.
The Chicago Tribune's Kathleen O'Malley contributed.
