The widow of a pedestrian killed in a Chicago bus accident has filed a civil lawsuit against the driver and bus company, the Chicago Breaking News Center reported.
The 63-year-old South Holland man was killed Feb. 23 when a Megabus struck him in a crosswalk on the Near West Side.
The victim’s wife filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court last week against the discount interstate bus company and the driver, claiming negligence led to the Chicago pedestrian death.
Police reported the bus was traveling west on Adams Street and was turning south onto Desplaines Street when it struck the victim in the crosswalk. The lawsuit contends that the driver’s failure to yield the right of way, along with five other violations, led to the victim being struck and killed.
He was pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, shortly after the 5 p.m. accident, according to the Sun-Times.
The 45-year-old Sauk Village bus driver was charged with reckless driving and not giving the right of way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
The wrongful death lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for the victim’s widow and the couple’s two sons.
In 2008, a total of 135 pedestrians were killed and 5,423 were injured in Illinois pedestrian accidents, the vast majority of which occurred in the Chicago area, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.