officials at this time have ruled out a carjacking.
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Updated: 1:46 PM
Man hanging onto car dies in crash
By Jason Meisner and Dan P. Blake | Tribune staff reporters
1:46 PM CDT, August 13, 2007
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E-mail Print Single page view Reprints text size: A man was killed early today in a traffic crash on Chicago's Northwest Side that, police said, unfolded when he tried to get into a vehicle and the frightened driver sped off and hit a tree.
The crash occurred about 3:20 a.m. in the 5600 block of West Barry Avenue, Officer Marcel Bright said. The man was trying to get into a car with a female driver, and she became scared and tried to speed away, Bright said.
"He was preventing her from closing the door," Bright said. "She was scared and hit the accelerator."
The car went out of control, veered around a corner and slammed into a tree, Bright said. The man, who was still hanging onto the car, was thrown off at impact and died there.
The victim, who appeared to be in his 30s, was unidentified as of this afternoon, according to a Cook County medical examiner's office spokesman.
The woman was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in an undisclosed condition, Bright said. He said authorities were still trying to determine whether she knew the man but added that it did not appear he was trying to carjack or rob her.
"At this time there's no indication there was a robbery attempt involved," Bright said.
Grand Central Area detectives were investigating.