BRIDEPORT — A Bridgeport college student died Wednesday after she and a friend were struck by an errant pickup truck barreling down a Downstate sidewalk, authorities said.
Mimi Liu, 20, was walking on Lincoln Avenue in Downstate Urbana near the University of Illinois campus when a pickup truck jumped a sidewalk and struck the two women. The truck had been spotted "swerving and striking curbs" about 10 blocks before the accident, said Urbana Police Department Sgt. Dan Morgan.
After hitting the two women, the truck continued on the sidewalk several more blocks before coming to a stop near a retaining wall.
Liu, of the 3600 block of South Lock Street, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Her friend, a 20-year-old woman, is being treated for "less serious but serious injuries," Morgan said.
The driver of the truck, 58-year-old Willie Craft, of Urbana, was ticketed for improper lane usage and driving without insurance. Morgan said more charges could be coming after investigators get the results of Craft's blood tests.
A university spokeswoman said Liu was majoring in agricultural and consumer economics.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Liu was a standout student at Whitney Young Magnet High School and an intern at the Chinese Fine Arts Society, 1312 S. Michigan Avenue.
She was also a talented pianist.
A public radio station, WFMT 98.7, rebroadcast on Thursday Liu's performance of "Red Flowers Blooming All Over the Mountain," part of the radio station's "Introductions" series spotlighting up-and-coming musicians. The performance can be streamed here.
