CHICAGO — The woman killed in the Michigan Avenue bus accident Tuesday evening was the mother of two adult children, the general manager of a suburban Gap and a woman who "loved life," friends and co-workers said Wednesday.
Aimee Coath, 51, was hit and killed by a CTA bus when it ran a red light and jumped a curb on Lake Street just east of Michigan Avenue.
"She just really loved life," said friend Susan Plomin.
Coath lived in Flossmoor. She had two adult children, a son and a daughter.
She grew up in a large Catholic family in Lake Forest, and attended Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., where she was active in theater and was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.
"She was just a delight," said Plomin, who met her at Knox College in 1982. "She literally lit up the room. She was a pretty special lady."
Plomin says she has been in touch with Coath's daughter, who also went to Knox and is on her way to Chicago from Washington D.C. Plomin said she recently got a "Save the Date" card for Coath's daughter's upcoming wedding in October.
"She is very active in everything," she said. She was involved in theater and loved the Chicago food and acting scene. She took wine classes.
"She was the funniest person I know. She had a dry, dry sense of humor," Plomin said. "She was opinionated but everyone loved her."
Coath had worked 17 years for Gap Inc., last serving as the general manager of its suburban Fox Valley store.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of dedicated, longtime Gap Inc. employee Aimee Coath. We are currently focused on the well-being of our employees who worked with Aimee and are affected by this tragic news," a Gap spokesman said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Aimee’s family during this difficult time."
Coath was at the busy Downtown intersection around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday when police say an empty No. 148 bus, an extended articulated bus, ran a red light and drove up the curb on Lake Street, hitting two people and several cars.
Coath was pinned under the bus and killed, and nine others were injured, including the bus driver.
Police ticketed the driver for failure to stop at a red light and failure to exercise due caution.
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