Chicago transportation includes not only rideshares, taxis, and personal vehicles of all types, but a variety of commercial bus operations that include both diesel and electric public transit buses; shuttle buses; tour buses; and those offered for charter. Consider the following:
-
Public Transportation. The Chicago Transit Authority (“CTA”) is an independent government agency serving Chicagoans since 1947. Known as the second largest public transportation system in the United States, it has a huge bus fleet that includes 1966 buses that cover 1516 route miles with 148,177 bus miles traveled daily.
-
Tour buses. There are also tour bus lines popular with tourists and sightseers alike. One example is Big Bus Tours, with their iconic double-decker buses bannered “BigBusChicago” offering hop-on, hop-off tours of top Windy City landmarks both day and night as well as invitations to schedule private hires.
-
Shuttles. Shuttle buses help move people to our local airports as well as around university campuses. Hotel and off-airport parking shuttle buses are commonplace at O’Hare International Airport. The University of Chicago offers day and night shuttle bus service for its campus and the surrounding Hyde Park area.
-
Charter buses. Among other popular charter bus services in Chicagoland are those companies offering chartered “casino buses” that take passengers to and from nearby casinos, like those in Des Plaines; Aurora; Hammond; and Joliet.
Riding a Bus in Chicagoland: Dangers of Serious Injury or Death in a Bus Accident
Aside from the usual risks of driving the roadways of the greater Chicago metro area (such as the current number of road work construction zones as part of Project Rebuild Illinois), commercial buses come with some specific safety risks that may result in a dangerous or deadly crash. These include:
1. No passenger seat belts.
While it is well-known that safety belts save lives, bus riders in Illinois are not required to wear them. In the event of a bus accident, the force of impact can thrust passengers forward causing great bodily harm.
2. Structure of the bus.
Commercial buses are constructed to haul large numbers of people and as a result come with a high center of gravity. This form is efficient for transportation, but it comes with the high risk of rollover in the event of an accident. Even our very high winds put our big commercial buses at risk of tipping over. Drivers going too fast around corners or speeding to stay on schedule also increase the risk of these high motor vehicles rolling on their side and causing harm to occupants. See, Rollover Accidents in Indiana and Illinois: A Continuing Danger.
Additionally, these large buses do not have “crumple zones” like other vehicles. These are areas built into the vehicle to absorb the kinetic energy and force of impact and are not provided in standard bus structures.
3. Lack of safety features.
Most commercial buses do not have things that are common in other motor vehicles on the roads of Chicagoland. Things like airbags are taken for granted in our cars and SUVs but are not provided for accident protection on a bus.
For more, read details provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Passenger Carrier and Bus Safety Facts.
Bus Accident Claims after Chicago Bus Crash
Having an experienced personal injury advocate with an understanding of bus accident claim complexity can be invaluable to anyone who has suffered harm while riding a bus in the greater Chicago area. For more, read: Why a Lawyer who is a Trial Attorney Is Important for Accident Victims in Personal Injury Cases.
Liability will depend upon the circumstances of the particular accident, because other parties besides the bus owner and operator may be responsible for damages. Other drivers, as well as property owners or lessors; those with a duty of care, repair, and maintenance of the bus; and manufacturers of parts (tires, brakes) of the bus or other vehicles involved in the wreck are among other potential defendants in any bus injury investigation.
Legalities will also be complicated by the bus itself. Who owns or operates the bus involved in the crash? Government agency ownership takes the accident victim down a very different avenue to justice from those buses owned by private companies and those leased by parties for specific events.
Moreover, the law will need to be researched for legal mandates when the accident victim is a legal resident of another state than Illinois such as tourists, sightseers, or college students. Jurisdictional issues will be more complex when a victim lives in another part of the country from the scene of the accident and the location of the defendant bus line, bus driver, etc.
Damages will be defined by state law. Claims may be for the wrongful death of the bus crash victim under Illinois wrongful death laws. Personal injury statutes and court case precedent may define bodily harm suffered by the bus accident victim and their loved ones. Things like bone fractures, blunt force trauma, internal organ injury, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, concussions, and more will need extensive medical care and rehabilitation which will be covered. Lost wages, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, and psychological harm like mental anxiety may be compensated.
For more, read:
- Fighting Bus Crash Fatalities in Indiana and Illinois
- Bus Crash Dangers in Indiana or Illinois: Serious Injuries and Fatalities in Bus Accidents
- Fatal Bus Crashes in Indiana and Illinois
- College Softball Bus Crash with Tractor-Trailer Truck: Another Tragic Truck Accident.
Here in Chicagoland, hundreds of people entrust their safety and that of their loved ones to a public transit bus; shuttle; tour bus; or charter with an assumption that things will be fine. Sadly, there will be times when that trust is misplaced, and people are hurt or killed in a tragic Chicago area bus crash. Please be careful out there!
