Throughout Chicagoland, school buses are entrusted with riders of all ages as they transport kids to and from school as well as to various sporting events, field trips, etc. In the greater Chicago metro area, children may be riding on school buses owned or operated by the major school bus operators like Chicago Public Schools; First Student; Alltown Bus Service; North America Central School Bus; or Compass Transportation.
Usually, our kids board the traditional yellow school bus, a standard Type C, but some children with special needs may be transported via smaller accessibility school buses (Type A). Occasionally, you will also see the larger transit style school buses used here (Type D). Most are diesel; some are electric.
Hundreds of thousands of Chicago area students (K-12) ride school buses on a daily basis. Chicago Public Schools, for instance, is responsible for 325,305 students in its 2024-2025 enrollment year.
Obviously, it is vital to protect these school buses from any type of accident or crash, and thankfully statistics show that school buses are safer than other forms of transportation (like cars or semis) in bodily injuries sustained in a vehicular collision. According to Illinois’ renown safety organization, the National Safety Council, fatal school-bus related crashes fell by 3.7% in the latest annual study (comparing 2021 to 2022).
However, this does not mean that Chicago school buses are free from risk. The danger of riders on a school bus, or other drivers, passengers, or pedestrians being hurt in a school bus crash in the Chicago area is higher than many may realize. School bus accidents happen all the time.
Consider the following news coverage of school bus accidents in Chicagoland during the past year:
Recent Chicago School Bus Accident Examples
A cursory search for news stories involving school buses in the greater Chicago metropolitan area provides the following examples (far from an exhaustive list):
1. February 6, 2025 School Bus Hit By Lexus SUV
One afternoon last month, a school bus carrying 22 students was involved in an accident with a wrong-way Lexus SUV at the corner of Vineyard Drive and Mendocino Drive in Gurney. The force of impact was sufficient to flip the SUV into a rollover. Fortunately, no one was injured in the accident. Read, “Gurnee crash: School bus carrying 22 students collides with SUV,” written by Nic Flosi and published by Fox32Chicago on February 6, 2025.
2. January 6, 2025 School Bus Crash With Jeep Grand Cherokee
A school bus filled with 51 students and several adults was involved in an accident with a Jeep Grand Cherokee while en route on I-290 at I-390 in Cook County. One adult was hospitalized; no kids were hurt. Read, “1 person hospitalized after crash involving school bus on I-290 eastbound near Itasca,” written by Jeramie Bizzle and published by CBS News – Chicago on January 6, 2025.
3. October 20, 2024 School Bus Rear-Ends Semi Truck
A school bus and a semi-truck collided on IL-137 and US Route 41 in North Chicago very early one morning, with police reporting from the scene that the school bus rear-ended the semi-truck. Four adults were hospitalized; no kids were hurt. Read, “4 injured after school bus crashes into semi in North Chicago, fire dept. says,” written by ABC7-Chicago Digital Team and published by ABC-7 Chicago on October 20, 2024.
4. May 2024: I-55 Three School Bus Pile-Up
Three school buses were involved in a school bus accident on I-55 in Channahon, Illinois, as they crossed the I-55 Smith Bridge. A chain-reaction collision occurred, according to reports, the driver in the rear school bus did not brake in time as traffic came to a halt. This school bus hit the bus in front of it, shoving it into the school bus in the lead. Ten students and two teachers were injured. Read, “10 middle school students, 2 adults hospitalized in school bus crash on I-55 bridge, driver cited,” written by Leah Hope and published by ABC-7 Chicago on May 21, 2024.
Dangers of School Bus Accidents
School buses are designed to keep occupants safe, and they do a good job of this. However, riders are not immune from harm. And there is a greater likelihood of others involved in a school bus accident suffering injuries that will require hospitalization due to serious bodily injuries.
The key here: the greater the kinetic energy, or force of impact, the higher the risk of severe harm in any Chicago school bus crash.
Various Reasons for School Bus Crashes
There is no simple answer to the question of how to prevent any school bus accident, where even if the riders are not harmed, the kids will still experience a traumatic incident. More severe bus crashes come with an even greater need to understand and thwart their risks.
Things that are known to be involved in school bus accidents in Chicago and elsewhere in the United States include:
- error by the school bus driver
- error by another driver on the road
- weather conditions (especially during our winter storms)
- failure of the school bus
- failure of another motor vehicle involved in the school bus crash
- failures in proper upkeep of property or safety by landowners and lessors (think improper lighting of roadways, failure to remove debris or clear landscaping, etc.)
- failures in duties to warn (especially concerning with so many road work construction zones on Illinois roadways today).
For more, read How to Prove Distracted Driving Caused Serious or Deadly Accident in Chicagoland; Black Ice Accidents in Illinois and Indiana: Liability for Crash Injuries; and Tire Failure and Fatal Crashes in Indiana and Illinois: the Legal Duty of Tire Maintenance.
Claims for Damages After a Chicago School Bus Accident
After any serious motor vehicle accident, it is important for the accident victim and their loved ones to understand that they have a legal right to damages from any parties with legal liability; however, they also have a duty to pursue those legal claims.
The accident victim must establish the case for recompense from all who caused their harm with authenticated and admissible evidence that meets a preponderance level of proof (the “more likely than not” standard).
Several parties may be involved here, from the driver; the owner of the vehicle; other drivers; manufacturers of the vehicle or its components that failed; companies responsible for repair or maintenance; and more. Each case must be given individual respect and investigated by experts in school bus crash accidents for a complete analysis of causation.
Additionally, the victim has a deadline. These injury claims must be filed of record within a two-year time period from the date of injury (as a general rule) or they will be barred as a matter of law, no matter how valid they may be. In some matters, they may need to be filed within one year’s time. Read, Deadlines for Injury Victims to File Lawsuits: Statutes of Limitations
Not only liability but damages must be established by the accident victim. Damages include things like medical expenses, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, rehab costs, and more. Read, 10 Types of Injury Damages That May Be Awarded to Accident Victims.
Complicating these matters when school buses are involved are protections placed upon governmental entities in some scenarios by Illinois law (such as the Tort Liability of Schools Act). Government immunity may block, or limit, relief. Having an experienced school bus accident personal injury advocate helping in these matters can be invaluable, who will work alongside bus crash investigation experts.
For more, read:
- Accident Reconstruction Experts and Injury Claims;
- EDRs and Black Box Recordings in Car Crashes: Technological Data as Evidence of Fault in Personal Injury Claims;
- Why a Lawyer who is a Trial Attorney Is Important for Accident Victims in Personal Injury Cases;
- Impaired School Bus Drivers: Alcohol, Drugs, and OTC Medications;
- Deadly Indiana School Bus Crash: Driver Charged With Reckless Homicide;
- School Bus Accidents Kill and Injure Children: Should There Be More Safety Requirements for Kids in School Buses?
Chicago school buses are remarkably safe for most riders, but school bus accidents do happen here. Legal claims for damages in the aftermath of a Chicagoland school bus crash can be complicated. Please be careful out there!
