Woman Dead After Being Hit By Megabus Near Union Station
Updated 08/07/12 - 10:04 p.m.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 76-year-old woman has died after she was hit by a Megabus near her West Loop home, not far from Union Station.
CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports the bus hit Donna Halstead as she was walking northbound on Canal Street, crossing the street at Adams Street around 2:20 p.m. Police said she was struck by the vehicle's side mirror.
The Fire Department said Halstead was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Police said she later died, although the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said they had not been notified of her death as of 7:15 p.m.
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Witnesses said Halstead had the right-of-way as she was crossing the street, when the bus made a left turn onto Adams and hit her. They said Halstead was crossing Adams Street when the walk clock began counting down on the crosswalk's signal, leaving her near the corner when that clock hit zero.
"The bus tried to beat the crowd. You know, when the crowd splits, and you see there's an opening, you try to come through. She was standing in the way, and he hit her, and her head smashed against the concrete," Malcolm Washington said.
Witnesses said Halstead was thrown to the ground and suffered a serious head injury.
"I looked, and I saw my friend laying in the street, with blood coming out of her head," her friend, Tyrone Johnson, said.
She lived in a building just a few feet from where she was hit. Friends said she'd been battling cancer, so it took her a long time to cross the street.
Johnson said he thinks Halstead might have been on the way to visit her son at work at Union Station.
"I assumed she was probably taking her son lunch, because her son works there. She had a little bag in her hand," Johnson said.
Johnson described Halstead as a "Very nice lady, very well respected in the community."
Police said a video camera inside the corner CVS caught the impact.
There were no passengers on board the bus, according to a statement from the bus company.
"We are saddened to report this tragic incident," Megabus president Dale Moser said in a written statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved, particularly the family of the deceased woman."
Police said the Megabus driver was tested, but was not under the influence of any substance. That driver has been cited for failure to yield to pedestrian in the crosswalk, a misdemeanor.
Police believe that is the only charge the driver will face.
It was the second fatal accident involving a Megabus in Illinois in the past week.
Just last Thursday, a Megabus from Chicago hit a bridge column just north of Saint Louis, killing one passenger.
Several other passengers were injured and treated at local hospitals.
Police said it appeared that accident was the result of a blown tire.
