School Bus Accident

Chicago school bus accident injures 4

October 26, 2010 | By Dave Abels

An Illinois school bus crash that happened on Friday on the Kennedy Expressway has injured four people, according to WGN TV. The collision involved a school bus and a car, and occurred in the evening hours.

There was an EMS Plan 1 response from the Chicago Fire Department which sent five ambulances to the scene around 5:40 PM. The accident took place in the southbound lanes around Division Street.

Due to the accident, two of the injured were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. One was in serious to critical condition and the other was in fair to serious condition. Two others were taken by ambulance to St. Mary Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Chicago area school bus accident injures 12

September 30, 2010 | By Dave Abels

An Illinois school bus crash in South suburban Orland Park has resulted in injuries to 12 people, including nine grade school students, according to CBS News in Chicago. The students were from High Point School, a school for third, fourth and fifth graders. The accident occurred around 3 PM at 147th St. & Lagrange Road, and involved a school bus and a car.

The bus had 20 students on board at the time of the accident. Nine were injured were taken to area hospitals. The injuries are reportedly non-life-threatening

School administrators reportedly came out to the scene to help police. The Orland Park Fire Department also responded. Some parents drove out to the scene of the accident to pick up their kids, while others were taken away by another bus.

Fewer Chicago car accidents contribute to historic statewide reduction; nearly 250 a day still injured in Illinois car accidents

September 22, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A significant reduction in the number of Chicago car accidents, as well as serious and fatal traffic accidents elsewhere in Illinois, made the state the safest it has been since 1921, according to 2009 traffic statistics released by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

A total of 911 traffic fatalities were reported in Illinois last year and 89,090 were injured. Those figures indicate about 3 people are killed and 244 are injured every day on Illinois roads. Total economic cost was $5.3 billion.Each fatality cost $1.3 million. An incapacitating injury cost $66,900, while a nonincapacitating injury cost $21,700.

Fatal Accidents in Illinois
-911 motorists were killed in 832 fatal crashes.
-25.7 crashes occurred at intersections.
-77.2 percent occurred on dry roads.
-48.3 percent occurred in daylight.
-56.4 occurred on urban roads.
-31.7 occurred in a crash with a fixed object.

Illinois Pedestrian Accidents
-111 pedestrians were killed in 2009.
-5,231 were injured.
-One in five fatal pedestrian accidents involved a senior citizen; 1 in 20 involved a child under the age of 15.

Illinois Motorcycle Accidents
-A total of 3,846 motorcycle crashes were reported.
-130 riders were killed and 3,152 were injured.

Illinois School Bus Accidents
-133 school-aged children were injured in school bus accidents.
-78 drivers were injured in school bus accidents.

Illinois Semi Accidents
-64 people were killed in tractor-trailer accidents in Illinois.
-3 fatality victims were occupants of tractor-trailers, while 55 were occupants of other vehicles.

Illinois Train Accidents
-One-fourth of fatal train accidents happened at crossings with gates.
-Three-quarters of fatal train crashes happened at crossings with other types of traffic control devices, including signs and flashing lights.

Illinois Work Zone Accidents
-31 people were killed in Illinois work zone accidents in 2009.
-5 of those killed were construction workers.

Suburban Chicago school bus accident blamed on puking driver

August 31, 2010 | By Dave Abels

A lawsuit has been filed over a suburban Chicago school bus accident by a mother who claims her child was injured when the driver fell out of the bus while trying to vomit, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. With the school year set to begin, school bus safety will be back in focus. The causes of school bus accidents can include new or inexperienced drivers, faulty or poorly maintained equipment, unruly passengers, distracted driving, driving under the influence or the driving behavior of another motorist on the road. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that school buses remain among the safest modes of transportation, with an average of just 19 deaths reported each year.

However, many others are injured in school bus accidents and school-related transportation crashes each year. And the fall brings increased risk as motorists get used to watching for buses and students as the school year begins.

In this case, a mother of a child who was injured has filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court, claiming the driver of the Illinois Central School Bus opened the door to vomit, and then fell out of the bus. The bus continued on and crashed into a nearby ditch. The crash reportedly occurred as the bus approached an intersection in Pembroke Township in Kankakee County.

More than 1,000 Illinois car accidents a day injured 11 people an hour in 2008

November 18, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Illinois’ 2008 traffic fatality clock logged 1,115 Illinois traffic crashes per day. Eleven people an hour were injured and 3 people a day died in fatal Illinois traffic accidents, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s 2008 Illinois Crash Facts and Statistics report.

This is the second blog looking at the newly published information. The Chicago injury lawyers and wrongful death attorneys at Abels & Annes published the first blog in the series on our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog last week.

The study reported 10.1 million vehicles registered to 8.7 million licensed drivers traveled over 100 billion miles in 2008. There were 408,258 traffic accidents reported in Illinois during 2008, which caused 94,021 injuries and claimed 1,043 lives.

The Illinois State Police announced last week a campaign to reduce the number of Illinois traffic fatalities by at least 100 through the end of the year, dropping the state total below 1,000. Currently, Illinois is one of 10 states that reported more than 1,000 road deaths last year.

Breakdown of Illinois vehicles:
77 percent passenger cars 17 percent trucks, buses and recreational vehicles 4 percent motorcycles
The highest numbers of fatalities were among passenger cars (850) and pickup trucks (200). However, a high number of fatalities were reported as a result of Illinois trucking accidents (113) and Illinois motorcycle accidents (131).

The state has a good chance of dipping below the 1,000 mark — 781 fatalities had been reported as of Nov. 10, compared to 883 in the prior year. But November and December are traditionally two of the deadliest months on the road, with holiday travel, Illinois drunk driving crashes and winter weather combining to increase road hazards.

Fewer Chicago car accidents follow state trend: Lowest Illinois fatality rate since 1923

November 12, 2009 | By Dave Abels

Illinois recorded the fewest traffic fatalities since 1923, according to an exhaustive report on 2008 traffic fatalities released by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The Chicago car accident attorneys and the Chicago injury lawyers at Abels & Annes are taking a look at the report in a series of blog here at our Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog and our sister site, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog.

“We believe these reductions are evident that Illinois’ traffic safety efforts are working,” Gov. Pat Quinn said.

Geese Crossing Street Leads To Chicago Area School Bus Accident

May 23, 2009 | By Dave Abels

In Naperville, Illinois an auto accident occurred on Thursday after a vehicle stopped to allow geese to cross the road, according to the Naperville Sun. A second car stopped behind the first car, and then a school bus rear-ended the 2nd car, knocking it into the 1st car. The auto accident occurred at Naper Boulevard and Chicago Avenue around 7 a.m.

The school bus was headed to Naperville North High School with 33 students on board. No injuries were reported and the bus was able to continue on to school.

If it ends up there were injuries in the accident, liability would mainly be against the school bus operator for driving too fast for conditions and failing to stop in time to avoid an accident. While no injuries were reported at the scene, it is likely that the occupants of the vehicle that was rear-ended sustained back and/or neck injuries (and others involved could have been injured as well).