A recent school bus accident in Illinois injured 13 kids on the Liberty High School volleyball team, according to Daily Herald. The driver of the bus has been cited for the accident. The accident happened just before 8:00 a.m. on Route 3 at Washington Street in Grayslake, Illinois.
Eleven of the players were transported to various local hospitals. Two additional students and the drivers of the vehicles were treated at the scene.
It all happened when the bus driver failed to yield when making a left-hand turn. He is scheduled to be in court in Round Lake Beach on November 23, according to officers.Our Chicago bus accident attorneys understand that children across the country ride the big yellow school bus to and from school every day. These same buses are used to travel to sporting events and other school-related activities as well. We trust that drivers and the buses are safe for passengers and for motorists traveling among the fleet. Drivers, school districts and busing companies are responsible for the safety of students.
“District 128 is pleased to report that all of the students and the coach involved in this morning’s bus accident in Grayslake have been treated and released from area medical facilities and that no one suffered serious injuries,” said Director of Communications Mary Todoric.
Every year, there are more than 20 million students ride school buses to get to and from school, sporting events and other school-related activities. On the 450,000 school buses that travel through the U.S., too many people are injured in preventable accidents. About 12,000 kids are injured every year because of school bus accidents. Since 1990, there have been nearly 1,500 fatalities resulting from bus accidents in the U.S.
School bus statistics:
-Nearly 400 million people ride the bus every year.
-All these riders travel 30 billion passenger miles. Motorcoach riders make up about 950 million of these miles.
-In addition to the 450,000 school buses, there are about 30,000 commercial buses in the U.S. used for charters, tours, regular route services and special operations.
-The U.S. is the home of approximately 4,000 motorcoach companies.
Unfortunately, many school buses and commercial buses across the U.S. don’t have seat belts.
If you’re involved in an accident while riding on a school bus or a commercial bus, you may be able to file a claim against the busing company or against the school district or other responsible parties. You can experience more than physical pain from injuries sustained in a bus accident. You may be able to collect compensation for medical expenses, emotion distress and for pain and suffering.
Keeping your child safe is one of the most important jobs as a parent. We’d like to believe that this is the most important job for school districts and bus drivers as well.
If you or your child has been injured in an accident, Abels & Annes offers free and confidential appointments to discuss your rights. Call (866) 99-ABELS. There is no fee unless you win.
Additional Resources::
Driver cited in crash that flipped school bus, by Steve Zalusky, Daily Herald
More Blog Entries:
9 injured in Chicago school bus accident
May 21, 2011
Prevention of Chicago car accidents to target trucks, buses, trains and automobiles
September 24, 2011