Officials say a woman hit by a hotel shuttle bus at O'Hare International Airport Tuesday is alert and talking in her hospital room.
The accident occurred at 2:37 p.m. on the lower level of Terminal 1 on the road outside the baggage claim area.
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford says the woman was hit by an Intercontinental Hotel bus, pinned and dragged.
Lionel Muhammad, who drives another bus, was waiting for passengers and witnessed the accident. He says the victim was dragged for about 20 feet.
"Myself, other people responded, we actually ran to her aid," Muhammad said.
Muhammad said he and about 20 other men lifted the bus to relieve some of the pressure on the woman.
"The axle was into her side. When the truck was lifted up we could see that," Muhammad said.
He says the woman was on her cell phone and looking in another direction when she was hit, and was not walking in the designated crosswalk.
Police had no comment on Muhammad's claim, but have cited the bus driver, 50-year-old Jamie Florez, for striking a pedestrian in the roadway.
Others at the airport said they were surprised accidents like this didn't happen more often.
"People rush because they focus on picking people up, and not on pedestrians," Maria Soleead said.
The victim, who was described as in her early 40s, was initially transported to Lutheran Hospital in Park Ridge in critical condition, but her condition has improved.
The investigation is ongoing.
