Columnist Greeley badly hurt in accident

CHICAGO, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The Rev. Andrew Greeley, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, was in critical condition after an accident in Rosemont, Ill., his niece says.

Laura Durkin said her 80-year-old uncle fractured his skull when he struck the ground when his coat got caught in a departing taxi at the village's Chicago Transit Authority station, the Sun-Times reported Sunday.

Durkin said the accident occurred after the priest exited the cab Friday, trapping part of his jacket in one of the vehicle's doors.

"Right now he's critical but stable, very stable," she said of his medical condition. "Doctors are hopeful and pleased with his progress from (Friday) to (Saturday)."

Greeley suffered bleeding on the brain and doctors were monitoring the columnist's cranial pressure, Greeley's friend Terry Goggin said.

"You know, he's a fighter and a tough guy," Goggin told the Sun-Times. "He's got everything they want in a patient. All the signs are very positive."