One Injured In Chicago School Bus Accident In Portage Park

Bus Accident - August 8, 2023

School Bus Crashed Into House In Chicago’s Portage Park Along West Waveland Avenue

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS (August 8, 2023) – At least one person was injured after a school bus crashed into a home in Chicago’s Portage Park on West Waveland Avenue.

Cook County officials are saying that the collision took place around 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday. Three people were on a yellow school bus including a child in a wheelchair.

The school bus they were in crashed into a home. Paramedics were called to the scene in order to help the victim. A 43-year-old caregiver on the bus was injured and taken to the hospital.

A full investigation into the Portage Park crash remains ongoing at this time.

Liability For Chicago School Bus Accidents

School buses tend to be very safe forms of transportation. But accidents still happen and many people are left injured. According to the NHTSA, “Between 2006 and 2015, there have been 1,313 people killed in school-transportation-related crashes—an average of 131 fatalities per year. Occupants of school transportation vehicles accounted for 9 percent of the fatalities, and nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.).” There are a number of steps that school bus drivers should take in order to avoid accidents.

• Bus drivers should slow down during periods of inclement weather.
• Bus drivers should check their blind spots before making turns.
• Bus drivers should continuously scan the road ahead of them.

School buses are considered “common carriers” under the Common Carrier Liability Act (740 ILCS 25/). Bus drivers must use an abundance of caution in order to avoid collisions. Many collisions are due to drivers that are speeding. There is a rebuttable presumption of negligence on the part of any driver that fails to reduce their speed to avoid a collision.

If a school bus driver was working at the time of a collision, their employer could be held at fault. Employers are typically vicariously liable for the wrongful actions of their employees – insofar as those employees were working within the course of their job duties. Victims of school bus accidents tend to suffer very serious injuries including:

• Broken bones
• Head injuries
• Lacerations
• Spinal cord injuries

The vast majority of school bus accidents are preventable and involve some amount of human error. Any person that is injured due to the negligence of a school bus driver may have legal recourse through a bodily injury claim. Damages in a civil claim can help cover many of the expenses that come with a serious injury. Many accident victims may not realize the full extent of their injuries for several weeks or months.

Investigating Chicago School Bus Accidents

We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our best wishes to all of the people injured in this Portage Park school bus accident. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to police. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what went wrong.

Have you or someone that you care about been injured in a Portage Park school bus accident? Our team of bus safety advocates are here to help in any way that we can. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of support we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.