Little is known about Brackett’s accident Wednesday, which happened on a South Side stretch of the Lakefront Trail near 39th Street. Brackett’s family told her colleagues that she was found several feet from the bike trail, which is not far from her South Side home, said Phil Ponce, host of “Chicago Tonight.” A still-anonymous good Samaritan saw Brackett and performed CPR until paramedics arrived, according to the station. Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford told WTTW that paramedics saw “no signs of trauma, no dirt, bruises, scrapes, contusions, anything that indicated she collided with something or had a fall or struck something.”<doc-sep>It’s hard to imagine anything ever slowing Elizabeth Brackett. In her more than two decades of work for the PBS NewsHour, she braved earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and presidential campaigns. She never yawned. She always pushed for more — more interviews, more phone calls, more perspective. Her idea of relaxation was transforming herself into a world-champion triathlete — after becoming a grandmother. She always pushed for more — more interviews, more phone calls, more perspective. Brackett died Sunday at age 76 after a bicycle accident in her native and beloved Chicago. She was the first correspondent I worked with right out of college, and over the years, we traveled tens of thousands of miles and producing dozens of stories together. She taught me that a good storyline and narrative always begins with people. She listened to them. She was curious about their lives, their stories. But some of what I learned from Elizabeth went beyond journalism. She was confident. She took on assignments without worry. She was sure we’d get the story — and we always did. She was fun. She did not quit, ever. A competitive diver at Indiana University years before Title IX brought collegiate women’s sports into the mainstream, Brackett revelled in carving her own path. During Hurricane Katrina, when all traffic was fleeing New Orleans, Brackett insisted on entering the city by foot, to report on the collapse of protective levees. She spent weeks in hip boots while covering major floods on the Mississippi River. When the Loma Prieta earthquake closed airports around San Francisco, Brackett insisted on flying into Las Vegas, because at that moment, it was the only plane in her airport going West. She made it to the epicenter while first responders were still pulling people from the rubble. She did not quit, ever. She was a stickler for telling both sides of the story. She reported on the explosive summer-long Operation Rescue anti-abortion protest at a Wichita, Kansas late-term abortion clinic by interviewing two sisters on opposite sides — one pro-choice and one pro-life. While reporting on violent crime, she moved easily between police and gang member interviews at the notorious Cabrini-Green public housing high-rise in Chicago. Brackett came to journalism late, but she made up for any shortcomings with a relentless work ethic. She was the queen of the all-nighter, whether during natural disasters or a presidential campaign. Whatever daytime frustration I felt while producing stories with her — she always wanted one more interview, one more call — she inevitably made up for with a late-night glass of wine. We always found something to laugh about. Her work was rewarded by her peers — she won a national Emmy in 1987 for reporting on the farm foreclosure crisis, as well as three Midwest Emmy awards for other stories — but Brackett was also intensely self-motivated. At age 50, trying to prove her best days weren’t behind her, she started competing in triathlons. She won world triathlon championships in her age class in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2017. She won her most recent triathlon, a local race, on June 9, at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, at age 76. In December, she was recognized as a champion triathlete by Sports Illustrated in the prestigious Faces in the Crowd feature. She loved skiing and hiking in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.<doc-sep>EMBED >More News Videos Elizabeth Brackett, who worked at ABC7 in the 1980s, retired in 2014 from WTTW's "Chicago Tonight" after 20 years as a correspondent. Elizabeth Brackett EMBED >More News Videos Longtime Chicago broadcaster Elizabeth Brackett was in a coma Thursday after a bicycle accident. CHICAGO (WLS) -- Elizabeth Brackett, a longtime Chicago journalist and broadcaster, died days after she sustained a serious injury and was in a coma due to a bike accident along Chicago's lakefront, WTTW said on Sunday. Brackett, an award-winning journalist and occasional contributor to WTTW's "Chicago Tonight," was 76.Her funeral will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday at Kenilworth Union Church, 211 Kenilworth Ave. in Kenilworth, Ill. WTTW reported that Brackett was injured Wednesday as she biked near 39th Street along the Lakefront Trail. She was found unconscious and taken to Stroger Hospital with two fractured vertebrae in her neck.Brackett is an accomplished triathlete who won five international titles in her age group, including one last year. WTTW reported that she was training for another triathlon when the accident occurred.Brackett, who was a reporter for ABC7 Eyewitness News in the 1980s, retired in 2014 after 20 years as a correspondent for "Chicago Tonight." She remained an occasional contributor, focusing primarily on environmental issues.Retired ABC7 reporter Paul Meincke profiled her in recent years, including in 2010, just before she went overseas to compete in the World Triathlon Competition and defend her world title. "All of us at WTTW are devastated by the news of Elizabeth's death," said Mary Field, executive producer of "Chicago Tonight." "She is a friend and beloved colleague, and her loss will be felt not only here but in Chicago's journalism community, of which she was a highly respected member, and among her many friends and competitors in the athletic world. ""Elizabeth left an indelible mark on Chicago Tonight, and we are grateful not only for the opportunity to have worked with her, but to have known her as a person of intelligence and integrity," said Dan Soles, WTTW's chief television content officer, who oversees local production. "Our deepest condolences to her family and friends at this sad and difficult time."<doc-sep>CHICAGO (CBS) — Described by her colleagues as tenacious and driven, veteran Chicago journalist Elizabeth Brackett died Sunday night, four days after a bicycle accident on the Lakefront. Brackett, 76, not only was an award-winning reporter, she was a world-class triathlete. The longtime reporter and host for “Chicago Tonight” on WTTW was found Wednesday morning on the Lakefront Trail near 39th Street. It was unclear whether Brackett had a medical episode before crashing her bike. Someone found Brackett on the ground near the bike path, and witnesses performed CPR until paramedic arrived. She suffered at least two fractured vertebrae in her neck, and was in a coma for more than four days until she died Sunday night at Stroger Hospital. Chicago Tonight host Phil Ponce said he will remember Brackett for her passion and competitive spirit. “Elizabeth had tremendous passion for the stories that she covered. It wasn’t just an assignment for her; whether she was covering the environment, whether she was covering women’s issues, whether it’s health, or women in the workplace, or whether it was social justice. She cared about what she covered,” he said. During her four decades in television news, Brackett won multiple awards. Before her time on Chicago Tonight, Brackett also worked here at WBBM; as well as at WLS, and WGN. She was the first WGN reporter to do a live report on TV. Elizabeth Brackett was an institution in Chicago journalism because her reporting informed, educated and enlightened generations of Chicagoans. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Brackett family and Elizabeth’s professional family at @wttw in the wake of this tragic loss. pic.twitter.com/tWUjW5hV3F — Mayor Rahm Emanuel (@ChicagosMayor) June 18, 2018 Brackett retired from WTTW in 2014, but remained an active triathlete. She also won five international titles in her age group as a triathlete, most recently winning in Rotterdam last year. “Being a competitor was innately who she was, whether it was a triathlete or as a reporter. She was extraordinary,” Ponce said. Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Kenilworth Union Church in north suburban Kenilworth.<doc-sep>
Obituaries Elizabeth Brackett, Longtime 'Chicago Tonight' TV Host, Dies The award-winning broadcaster and triathlete was in a coma after she was found last week on a lakefront bicycle path on the South Side. Reply CHICAGO, IL — Retired award-winning TV journalist Elizabeth Brackett died Sunday, days after the longtime WTTW-TV reporter and former "Chicago Tonight" host had been in an apparent bicycle accident, according to the station. Bracket, 76, suffered at least one broken vertebra in her neck and had been in a coma at Stroger Hospital since being found Wednesday, June 13, on a lakefront path on the South Side, the station said. Authorities aren't sure exactly how Brackett was hurt, but her family told WTTW that they believe she fell while riding her bike on a path near 39th Street Beach. Brackett, who had competed in triathlons since she was 50, didn't have any signs of trauma when she was treated at the scene, and the damage to her helmet seemed to indicate a bicycle fall, the station said. "All of us at WTTW are devastated by the news of Elizabeth's death," "Chicago Tonight" executive producer Mary Field told the Chicago Sun-Times, adding that Brackett passed away peacefully. "She is a friend and beloved colleague, and her loss will be felt not only here but in Chicago's journalism community, of which she was a highly respected member, and among her many friends and competitors in the athletic world." RELATED: Retired Chicago TV Reporter In Coma After Bike Crash Brackett built a respected 40-year career as a Chicago broadcaster — 20 of those years as the host and a correspondent for "Chicago Tonight" — covering a variety of topics, including politics, sports and business. Her work earned her five Emmy Awards, two Peter Lisagor Awards for Business Journalism and a National Peabody Award. She was inducted into the Chicago Television Academy's Silver Circle in 2009, the same year her book, "Pay to Play: How Rod Blagojevich Turned Political Corruption into a National Sideshow," was published. Before joining WTTW, Brackett started her TV career at WBBM-TV in 1977 and worked at WGN-TV and WLS-TV, as well. She was the Midwest contributor for "PBS NewsHour" (then called "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour") from 1984 to 2011 and co-hosted "Chicago Tomorrow," WTTW's weekly science show, from 2000 to 2001. "Elizabeth Brackett was an institution in Chicago journalism, because her reporting informed, educated and enlightened generations of Chicagoans," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement. "While Elizabeth rightfully received nearly every journalism award under the sun, anyone who knew her knew her passions stretched beyond the bounds of her career and that her greatest treasures were her beloved children. I will deeply miss our conversations about family, politics and triathlons." Along with her work as a journalist, Brackett also was a champion triathlete who competed around the world. Earlier this year, she won an international title in her age group, the latest of five such awards she had earned. "I believe that she left a lot in everybody that knew her. We carry a piece of her," Well-Fit Triathlon & Training owner and founder Sharone Aharon, Brackett's close friend and coach since 2006, told WTTW. "She wasn't afraid to do what needs to be done. She was extremely curious, loving life and a fierce competitor."