The 76-year-old retired Supreme Court secretary died Tuesday after a Megabus struck her while she was crossing the street between Adams and Canal near Union Station.
Second Ward Alderman Robert Fioretti knew Halstead for decades. When she lived in Calumet City and he lived in the Pullman community they would ride the morning train together.
"I knew Donna for over 30 years," Fioretti said. "She was a great woman, a go-getter...she was the kind of person all communities would be proud of."
The building manager of Metropolitan Place Condos, 130 S. Canal, says Halstead was one of the original owners and a past board member who was loved and respected by everyone.
"She had a great love of the city, that is why she moved downtown near Union Station," said Fioretti. "She helped everyone."
The driver of the Megabus was cited with failure to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
Tuesday's was the second fatal accident involving the company in less than a week. Fioretti has written the commissioner of the department of transportation demanding an investigation.
"These kind of incidents, especially what has happened to Megabus now, are all a string of items that need to be looked at by the Chicago Department of Transportation, the Illinois Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation," said Fioretti. "An investigation is just the start coupled with all the problems that have plagued Megabus this week."
Fioretti says that Halstead worked as a judicial secretary for a number of years and that she was a hard worker
"She had a far-reaching affect on people who knew her," Fioretti said. "I am proud to have known her and am saddened by her death."
Alderman Fioretti said, if Halstead saw a problem , she would come up with solutions and advocate ways to resolve the problems for the community. She was involved in a number of projects for senior citizens and added to the vibrancy of the city.
Fioretti said people usually have opinions and do not get things done; Halstead was a person who got things done.
