Gigi Galich, 55, a children’s librarian at the Evanston Public Library, has died from injuries suffered in a traffic accident at about 9 a.m. on June 30.
A motorcyclist was traveling east in the 600 block of Church Street, and. Ms. Galich was also traveling east on Church Street in the designated bike lane. She crossed the street mid-block into the path of the motorcycle, said Perry Polinski of the Evanston Police Department. He said police located a witness who observed the accident.
Fire Department paramedics took Ms. Galich to Evanston Hospital, where she underwent surgery for head injuries that she incurred, despite the fact she was wearing a helmet, Mr. Polinski said. She subsequently succumbed to her injuries.
The operator of the motorcycle, a 27-year-old male resident of Chicago, was not injured, Mr. Polinski said. No citations were issued to the motorcyclist as a result of the investigation.
In a prepared statement released to the media, Library Director Karen Danczak Lyons said, “It is with profound sadness and a deep sense of loss that I must inform you that Gigi Galich … has passed away. … Gigi has been an important part of our library family since she joined us in 1976 as a Library page. Over the years she has continued to contribute to Evanston’s residents of all ages through her enthusiastic and creative work in the Children’s Services Department at the Main Library. … [She] was energetic, dedicated and passionate. She will be greatly missed. Her work will live on through the many, many children who learned to love reading and coming to the library for books, crafts, stories and fun.”