A driver who struck and killed a man in front of his Oak Lawn home in June will have to pay a fine for speeding and serve community service, despite demands from the man’s family for harsher punishment.
On Tuesday, Leanne Cusack was found guilty of failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, according to Cook County court records. She was given 30 hours of community service and ordered to pay a fine of $750.
But the family of Murod Kurdi had been pushing for felony charges to be filed against Cusack, questioning why police released Cusack when it was clear at the scene that Kurdi had been gravely hurt. Kurdi died after several days on life support.
Kurdi, 28, had parked in front of his house in the 5100 block of West 91st Street the evening of June 5, when he was struck by a passing car and thrown 15 feet.
The driver, Leanne Cusack, allegedly told police at the scene that she had been drinking before the crash, but she refused a Breathalyzer test and was sent home with a ticket for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, according to police reports.
Cusack fought the ticket, which is why she appeared in court this week.
Bob Olson, Cusack’s lawyer, told the Sun-Times in August that one officer noted a “faint” smell of alcohol on Cusack’s breath, but police reports indicate she did not appear impaired, Olson said.
“The police did a really good job,” Olson said, pointing out that Cusack stopped and returned to the scene almost immediately. According to the reports, Cusack told police that she felt a “bump” but wasn’t aware that she’d struck Kurdi. She stopped when she saw bystanders running into the street to help him.
“There were no indicators she was impaired, and they didn’t think she was under the influence,” Olson said. Olson said that Cusack has received death threats and was still “very upset.”
“She feels terrible about the accident,” he said. “But it was an accident.”
Kurdi’s family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Cusack and asked the state attorney general’s office to look into the actions of the police department.
Contributing: Andy Grimm
