Bolingbrook woman dies in car crash

A 66-year-old Bolingbrook woman died Tuesday after being hit by a school bus on its way to pick up children for summer classes.

The bus driver and a first-grader from Bernard J. Ward Elementary School in Bolingbrook were taken to Edward Hospital in Naperville for evaluation but were not physically injured, authorities said. The child, the only student on the bus, was the first to be picked up.

The victim, Marilyn A. Stark, was pronounced dead at 8:36 a.m. at the hospital, police said.

The bus, a full-size vehicle that can seat roughly 60, struck Stark around 8 a.m. at Boughton Road and Feather Sound Drive.

The bus was traveling south on Feather Sound. The driver stopped at a traffic light at Feather Sound and Boughton and then proceeded to make a right turn onto Boughton where the bus ran over the woman, who was in a crosswalk, police said.

"The bus driver felt she hit something, continued to make the right turn and then she stopped and saw the woman laying in the street," police Lt. Chris Prochut said. "I think it's just an unfortunate accident where the pedestrian wasn't seen."

It's possible the bus driver didn't see the woman due to the sun's early morning glare, he said.

No citations were issued but the accident is still under investigation.

"It's an absolute tragedy," Valley View Community Unit District 365U Superintendent Phillip W. Schoffstall said. "It's a tremendous feeling of sadness for everyone involved."

Schoffstall said eight children normally ride the bus to summer school. The other students were picked up by another bus shortly after the accident, he said.

The accident caused traffic delays until about 12:30 p.m. when the scene was cleared.