Two men, including cabbie, killed in Near North Side crash

CHICAGO (SUN TIMES MEDIA WIRE) - Two men, including a taxi driver, were killed in a crash early Wednesday on the Near North Side.

A Hyundai Sonata was speeding south on Clark Street at 3:18 a.m. when it ran a red light and rear-ended a cab that was also southbound in the intersection with Oak Street, according to Chicago Police.

The cab driver, 52-year-old Mekonnen S. Kassa of the North Side West Ridge neighborhood, was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

The driver of the Hyundai, 40-year-old Sungde Joof of the South Side Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood, was taken to Illinois Madonic Medical Center, where he was also pronounced dead, authorities said.

No other injuries were reported, police said. The CPD Major Accidents Investigation Unit is investigating.