Personal Injury Law

CTA Bus Crashes on Lake Shore Drive

By Jamie G. Goldstein

A fully packed Chicago Transit Authority bus crashed last Saturday night south of Lake Shore Drive off of I-55. Passengers reported feeling panicked as they suddenly realized the bus was veering uncontrollably off the road. The bus may have flipped over had it not slammed into a tree off the side of the road, sending passengers flying out of their seats and onto the floor. 70 passengers were on board at the time. Over 20 ambulances came to the scene to take in the 37 people injured. Four were taken in critical condition. Many passengers are reporting back, neck, and arm injuries from the jolt of the crash or from other passengers falling into them.

The cause of the crash is still unknown while the Chicago Transit Authority is in the process of conducting its investigation. One passenger said she observed a passenger struggling over the wheel with the driver. Some suspect a maintenance issue may have caused the wheel locked up, sending the bus swerving off the road. The CTA will review the bus's 'black box' as well as security footage.

More bus crashes have occurred on CTA buses since 2008 than on any other large transportation system in the United States according to the Federal Transit Administration with some kind of incident reported daily. In 2009 there were 271 of what are deemed 'reportable collisions or collisions where one or more person has to go to the hospital or where over $25,000 worth of property damage occurs.

The Amalgamated Transit Union is calling for an independent investigation into the crash. With such consistently poor transportation safety statistics, having another organization look into these incidents may be a good idea for the people of Chicago.

Full post as published by Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer on October 12, 2010 (boomark / email).