A woman has been killed on Friday after the Pace bus in which she was travelling hit into a pole in the Fuller Park neighbourhood in the South Side of Chicago, reports NBC Chicago news.
The accident occurred at approximately noon on Friday afternoon. Williams was travelling in a Pace bus on her way home from work, as she did every day, when the bus swerved to avoid a pedestrian. According to eye witness reports, a pedestrian suddenly ran into the traffic on the 4600 block of South Halsted, and ran straight into the path of the oncoming bus, said police Sgt. Antoinette Ursitti, who is investigating the incident. The bus was travelling in the southbound lane at the time.
In order to avoid hitting the pedestrian, the bus driver swerved suddenly, smashing into a light pole on the side of the road. The bus was severely damaged in the accident, and Williams, who was seated in the front row to the left of the driver, was critically injured.
First responders arrived rapidly on the scene and transported Williams and other passengers who were injured to the nearby Stroger Hospital. Despite receiving intensive treatment and resuscitation at the hospital, Williams did not survive her injuries and she was pronounced dead at 1.32 pm in the trauma unit, according to a press release by the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The identity of the pedestrian that appeared to have caused the accident has not yet been released, and investigators have not revealed to the media whether the pedestrian is known or has been taken in for questioning.
There was no evidence of drug or alcohol use by the driver in the incident, and police authorities say that it is unlikely that the driver will be charged with reckless driving charges or manslaughter, as he was responding appropriately to the incident at hand in order to avoid the pedestrian. The driver has a good safety record and has been working for Pace for eight years, said a spokesperson from the bus company.
Pace suburban bus service is the main local source of public bus transport within the suburbs surrounding Chicago, and provides an extensive network of bus routes for commuters in the Chicago area. The company has a good safety record, with this being its first fatal accident in the last three years. The company has extended its condolences to the family of Williams.