Young Girl Fatally Struck By CTA Bus Driver

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The 7700 block of South Shore Drive from the driver's perspective.

Yesterday around 3:20 p.m., a 19-month-old girl was struck and killed by a CTA bus driver in the South Shore neighborhood. The girl, Cherish C. Meyers, was with a group of people celebrating Memorial Day on the 7700 block of South Shore Drive, near Rainbow Beach, police said. According to witnesses, Meyers’ mother briefly left her in the care of a neighbor, who turned away for a moment as the girl ran off, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Meyers ran off the curb on the east side of the street as the operator of a #6 Jackson Park Express bus was driving north, police said. The driver attempted to swerve around the girl, but the side of the articulated bus struck her, according to police. Meyers was transported to the University of Chicago’s Comer Children’s Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office. The driver was also taken to the hospital for observation, police said.

No citations have been made; Major Accidents is investigating the case, according to Officer José Estrada from News Affairs. As of this morning, the CTA had not released details about the crash or the driver, but Spokesman Steve Mayberry said the transit authority is conducting its own investigation, the Tribune reported.

Fatality Tracker: 2014 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths

Pedestrian: 14 (5 were hit-and-run crashes)
Bicyclist: 0