A respected Chicago rehabilitation doctor suffered catastrophic injuries and may have lost the career he devoted to helping others when a driver ran a red light, struck him as he rode his bicycle, then fled the scene, prosecutors say. More than seven months later, prosecutors have charged the man they say was behind the wheel: 35-year-old Tavis Roark.
Dr. Raymond Lee was riding his bicycle northbound through the intersection of Damen Avenue and Van Buren Street around 4:35 p.m. on October 28 when Roark, driving a red Ford Fusion westbound on Van Buren, allegedly ran a red light and slammed into him, according to a detention petition filed by prosecutors. Lee, an attending physiatrist at Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital and a fellowship-trained spinal cord medicine specialist, was thrown into the air and landed on Van Buren Street.
Prosecutors say Roark briefly stopped after the collision, then drove away without reporting the crash or rendering aid.
A witness photographed the fleeing vehicle, capturing the license plate and pre-existing rear-end damage. Another witness stayed with Lee, who suffered a broken leg and severe head injuries. According to prosecutors, he sustained life-altering brain injuries and is unlikely to ever return to his career in medicine.
Investigators traced the vehicle to a relative of Roark’s. Less than three hours after the crash, the relative reported the car stolen from Roark’s home on the Near West Side, officials said. CPD later issued a community alert that included images of the car that struck Lee and someone spotted the 2010 Ford Fusion parked in the garage of Roark’s building, about five blocks from the crash scene.
According to prosecutors, surveillance video showed Roark leaving home in the Fusion on the morning of the crash with no front-end damage. Shortly after the collision, he is allegedly seen returning to the garage with a caved-in windshield and a dented hood. Prosecutors say he tried to reposition the car in his assigned spot so the damage would be out of view, and when that failed, he draped a jacket and a yellow safety vest over the front of the car in an apparent attempt to conceal it.
Investigators also pulled location data from Roark’s cellphone, which prosecutors say placed him at the intersection at the time of the crash. Police further determined that when the relative reported the car stolen, it was actually sitting in Roark’s parking space, prosecutors said.
Judge James Murphy III ordered Roark detained pending trial on a charge of failure to report an accident causing injury. Murphy noted that Roark’s license is suspended in Kentucky and he has a previous misdemeanor conviction for failing to report an accident.
A GoFundMe created for Lee’s family described him as an avid bicyclist, devoted husband, and father of two: “Ray is known for helping others regain their strength and mobility and providing compassionate care to countless patients,” the campaign said.
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