How do you get around the city? Do you prefer to walk and are you lucky enough to live close to where you work? Is it your normal routine to hop on an L train, moving about some of the more popular areas of Chicago? If you are like a major portion of the population, you opt to take a bus at some point during the year, letting you get to where you are going without worrying about traffic or even where to park.
Buses help the city move in an efficient manner, reducing the number of private vehicles that are on the roadway while making transit affordable to millions. Yet despite all the good that buses do in Illinois, they also can lead to serious safety issues as bus accidents happen so often that an average of 12 collisions took place every day in 2014 alone.
The Illinois Department of Transportation reports that 1,795 school bus accidents and 2,699 accidents involving other types of buses happened in 2014. Some of these collisions involved only one bus, some involved multiple buses colliding, and yet others saw a bus and a different type of vehicle, like a car, truck or SUV, strike one another. Bus accidents caused 838 injuries and nine deaths in 2014 but the toll they enacted was far greater as the families, friends, and loved ones of those victims also were forced to suffer due to these incidents.
So why do so many bus accidents happen in Chicago? Unfortunately, that is not an easy question to address. Many of them stem from the negligence of one or more drivers involved including motorists who operate under the influence of alcohol or who drive while distracted. Others may take place in times of inclement weather or due to poor driving conditions in the city. Things like tire blowouts, mechanical failures, and damaged pieces of a bus can also lead to an impact.
If you drive a car, it is critical for you to realize that your actions may determine whether a bus accident happens. If you drive too fast, follow too closely, or otherwise act in a manner that does not put safety first, you may strike a bus or cause a bus to crash, and you can be held legally liable for your actions.
If you ride in a bus, know that the operations are mostly beyond your control. However, you can choose which type of bus you ride in and it is a good idea to stick with companies who are properly licensed and who have positive safety records. Further, when you are on a bus, make sure you sit whenever possible and stow your personal possessions somewhere that will prevent them from striking you if the bus is in an accident.
No matter what happens and what type of vehicle you are in, if a collision happens and a bus is involved, those who are injured may be entitled to seek financial compensation for their damages including any medical expenses they incur or will incur in the future. If you have questions about your legal options, know that the personal injury attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. are standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to take your call toll free at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575.
When you call us for a case consultation, we will keep everything discussed confidential. Further, if we represent you, we will never charge you a fee unless we make a recovery on your behalf and we will advance all case-related expenses.
Hopefully, you will never be involved and injured in a bus collision, but if you are, call Abels & Annes, P.C. and let us fight for your rights.
Prior Blog Entry:
St. Patrick’s Day Comes to Chicago, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published March 11, 2016.
Resource:
2014 Illinois Crash Facts and Statistics, Illinois Department of Transportation.