Devastating Illinois school bus crash kills 1 other driver
On behalf of of Frederick & Hagle posted in Car Accidents on Friday, April 5, 2013.
An absolutely devastating pile-up took place this morning in a northern suburb of Chicago. Based on witness reports, it appears as though at the tail end of the morning commute, a school bus full of young children ran a red light, and then collided with two other passenger vehicles.
Tragically, the driver of one of the passenger vehicles was killed in this impact. Many of the children suffered minor injuries when the bus turned on its side after crashing with the other two vehicles, but all but one of the young children have since been released from the hospital. An officer that arrived on the scene shortly after the accident says of the range of emotions among the young children, “Some of the kids were upbeat and jovial as if they just got off a ride at Great America and other kids were asking for their mother or father and wanted to go home.”
While it is certainly lucky that none of these precious young lives were claimed in this accident, there is an Illinois family struggling to come to terms with this fresh devastation that their loved one was suddenly ripped from them in this accident. The exact framework of events is still under investigation in this crash because it occurred so recently.
The bus driver will undergo alcohol and drug testing to determine if she was impaired at the time of the accident. A local report does not indicate that there is immediate suspicion that she was impaired. Regardless of the drug testing, this woman could still face charges based on the outcome of the investigation. Authorities say that she was visibly shaken following this terrifying accident.
The outcome of this investigation will also be crucial in understanding any other negligence that contributed to the death of this victim.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Sheriff: School bus driver in deadly crash may have run red light,” Bridget Doyle, Carlos Sadovi and Gregory Trotter, April 5, 2013
- Our firm has experience helping the families of fatal accident victims in Illinois understand their avenues for recourse. For more information on accidents similar to that detailed above, please refer to our page on bus accidents.
