A recent school bus accident in Kane County sent nine students and a bus driver to local hospitals. The school bus was carrying a group of special-needs students through Big Rock as it flipped on its side, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.According to the Kane County sheriff’s department, the accident happened just after 8:00 a.m. on Camp Dean Road and Granart Road as the students were being bused to Kreici Academy in Naperville. The accident forced Granart Road to be shut down for about three hours.
Our Illinois school bus accident lawyers understand that officers have yet to determine why the school bus left the roadway when the accident happened. In the area in which the accident occurred, the shoulder is narrow and slants into a ditch. Reports indicate that the driver of the bus tried to get the bus back on track, but failed to do so before the wheels went into the ditch. The bus landed on its side, but didn’t roll over. Luckily, all of the children on board were wearing seat belts when the accident happened. The company that owns the bus, North American School Bus, requires all passengers to wear a seat belt.
Drivers who were passing by when the accident happened helped to get the special-needs students off of the bus after it tipped over.
Three of the students were taken to Provena Mercy Center and six were taken to Delnor Hospital.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are more than 20 million young children who ride the a school bus to and from school and school-related activities. School buses are also used to help children to get to athletic activities, church, camp and other youth events. Since 2000, there have been more than 371,000 fatal traffic accidents. Of these fatal accidents, nearly 1,250 were classified as school transportation-related. In these fatal school-related accidents, more than 1,385 people died. This means that an average of 139 people died each year. School-transportation vehicle occupants who were killed during this time were a part of the near 10 percent of all roadway fatalities. Nonoccupants, bicyclists and pedestrians involved with school-related vehicle accidents accounted for another 20 percent of the fatalities.
A majority of the people who were killed in these accidents were the occupants of other vehicles involved. Since 2000, there have been nearly 150 school-age pedestrians, under the age of 19, who have been killed in school transportation-related accidents. In addition to these fatalities, another 170,000 students are sent to the emergency room with a variety of injuries.
Children are asked to be courteous to the bus driver when riding to and from school on the big, yellow bus. Children are asked to keep their voices down, to remain seated and to keep objects out of the aisle. Unfortunately, even with following all of the proper safety precautions, accidents do happen. Make sure that you seek the advice of an experienced attorney if your child has been injured in a bus accident. Failure to act could your ability to collect the compensation necessary to deal with current or future medical issues.
Call the Illinois injury attorneys at Abels & Annes if you or your child has been hurt in a Chicago area school bus accident. Call us toll free at 866-99-ABELS for a free consultation.
Additional Resources:
School bus tips over in Kane County, sends 10 to hospitals, by Steve Lord, Chicago Sun-Times
More Blog Entries:
Illinois Bus Accident Injures 13 High School Volleyball Players, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, October 29, 2011
9 injured in Chicago school bus accident, Chicago Car Accident Lawyers Blog, May 21, 2011