Medical examiner spokeswoman killed by MTA bus

The spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office was one of two pedestrians killed in accidents in Baltimore County over the weekend, officials said. One case involved a hit-and-run driver, the other a Maryland Transit Administration bus.

In the bus incident, police identified the victim as Cindy Feldstein, a secretary and public information officer for medical examiner David R. Fowler. Feldstein was in a crosswalk on Park Heights Avenue near Slade Avenue at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday when she was struck, police said. She was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and pronounced dead.

"It's a small agency, a very small staff, so its absolutely devastating to the staff," said Fowler.

Feldstein served a number of functions at the medical examiner's office, which she joined around 1994. Her title was secretary and administrative aide, but she also served as a public information officer for the press, an officer troubleshooter, handled subpoenas, and interacted with the public.

"There wasn't something that could be handed to her that she couldn't do," Fowler said. "She was just an absolutely wonderful person in dealing with people and had a real sense of caring."

Fowler said she was married and has four children. She had recently moved to a home near where the accident took place.

“We deal with death every day, so people think we’re immune from some of these issue. I walked into the office today, and the staff was in tears,” Fowler said. “What we’re feeling, though, is a fraction of what her family must be going through.”

Hours later, Jason Cheslik, 29, was killed by a vehicle on Hazelwood Avenue, outside the Hazelwood Inn, while getting into his car about a mile from his home in Overlea. The vehicle that struck him sped away.

Two women were with Cheslik at the time and saw the accident, according to James Patterson, a colleague of Cheslik's at a warehouse and trucking company in Curtis Bay.

"He was a great father, great friend," Patterson, a dispatcher, said of Cheslik, who had a 7-year-old daughter.