CHICAGO (WGN) — A worker has died while setting up for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race in Grant Park, Nexstar’s WGN has learned.
The 53-year-old man was an employee of a staging and lighting company. Initial police reports from the scene said the man may have been electrocuted; however an autopsy will determine cause of death.
A NASCAR spokesperson confirms a contractor suffered “a fatal medical emergency” but declined to confirm the nature of the incident. The man was near the race starting line west of Buckingham Fountain, according to police reports.
“On Friday afternoon a contractor suffered a fatal medical emergency,” a NASCAR spokesperson told WGN Investigates. “We are coordinating with local authorities on this tragic incident. We share our condolences to the family and their loved ones.”
A Chicago Fire Department spokesperson confirms a man was transported from Grant Park and pronounced dead at a local hospital.
