Samaritan came to aid of Elizabeth Brackett
WTTW- TV journalist Elizabeth Brackett remained in a coma Thursday afternoon with a fractured vertebra in her neck after a lakefront bicycle accident, but she will not require any spinal surgery, the television station reported.
Relatives of the veteran “Chicago Tonight” reporter and host credited an anonymous good Samaritan with saving her life. They told WTTW they expect to learn more about her condition in the next 72 hours.
An award- winning journalist and triathlete, Brackett, 76, was in critical but stable condition at Stroger Hospital following the Wednesday morning accident.
Her vertebrae have realigned, so she will not require surgery, according to the report. Passersby first noticed Brackett sitting upright in a grassy area about 25 or 30 feet off the bike path near 3900 South on Wednesday, fire department spokesman Larry Langford said Thursday.
A short time later, a passerby called 911 after noticing that Brackett was lying down in the grass and the color of her skin had begun to turn blue, Langford said.
A 911 dispatcher began to walk a good Samaritan through the CPR process until police arrived a short time later and took over. Moments later, an ambulance arrived and paramedics began trying to revive her, Langford said.
There was no outward indication that she’d been in an accident — no scratches, dirt, bumps or bruises that were visible, Langford said.
Brackett’s relatives expressed their “heartfelt appreciation” to the anonymous good Samaritan and also credited a Chicago police officer for help provided at the scene before paramedics arrived.
“CPR was given and all advanced life support protocols were followed as she was transported to Mercy Hospital in critical condition,” Langford said. She later was transferred to Stroger, he said.
It’s unclear if she fell off the bike or came to a controlled stop, Langford said.
The incident took place on a portion of the lakefront path where construction to create separate paths for cyclists and pedestrians was completed last year.
Carol Marin, a veteran political reporter and friend of Brackett’s, said Brackett was training for a triathlon along the lakefront.
Brackett retired from the public broadcast station in 2014 after two decades as a full- time correspondent for “Chicago Tonight,” covering business and sports, local environmental and genetic research. During that time she also provided local stories for the national series “PBS News Hour.” She remains an occasional contributor to the Chicago program — one of her reports, on the reduced number of boats in Monroe Harbor, aired last week.
Brackett’s work has garnered two Midwest Emmy Awards, two Peter Lisagor Awards for Business Journalism and a National Peabody Award, among others.
She is also a decorated athlete — Brackett is a world champion triathlete who first competed at age 50. She won five international titles in her age group — including one just last year in Rotterdam. Recent Facebook posts on May 31 and June 9, show her preparing for another competition.
“She’s a fierce competitor and friendly person, and an inspiration to our entire class,” Sharone Aharon, who has been training Brackett since 2006, told WTTW.
“We are family here,” said Aharon, owner of Well- Fit Performance. “She’s the center of it. She’s like a mother to me and a friend.”