School Bus Crashes into Building in Niles

 Posted on November 11, 2013 in Personal Injury

It is natural to assume that you are only at risk of being caught in an auto accident when you are in a car or traveling near the road. But in reality, even when safely inside a building, there is a chance you may be hurt as a result of mistakes made by a driver. Car, trucks, buses, motorcycles, and other vehicles often leave the road, causing serious injury and property damage to anything or anyone in their path.

For example, earlier this month The Bugle reported on a school bus that careened out of control and crashed into an animal shelter in Niles, Illinois. According to reports, on October 2nd a bus owned by the Alltown Bus Service left the roadway and slammed into the side of a building--the Wright-Way Rescue animal shelter--at 7136 W. Touhy Ave. Fortunately, no children were on the bus at the time. In addition to the driver, an assistant was on board during the accident but neither was injured. A few animal shelter employees were inside the building at the time. Luckily all were in the rear of the building during the impact and none were hurt. A Niles Herald-Spectator story explained that the bus driver was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident. Per company protocol, the driver was also undergoing drug and alcohol testing to determine if impairment contributed to the accident--though no results were made public. Traffic tickets often play a role in any subsequent civil case arising from an auto accident. If a driver receives a traffic ticket or faces a criminal charge as a result of their actions, it does not automatically follow that they will be found liable if an injured party brings a civil lawsuit. However, depending on the specific situation, the ticket or statements made in dealing with the criminal case, may be used to show liability in the civil case. Most notably, if a defendant pleads guilty in a traffic court proceeding, then that plea may be used in the civil case as an admission of guilt. Many Illinois court opinions have reiterated the admissibility of this evidence. Contact an Accident Lawyer

The risk of serious injury and property damage is always high when any vehicle leaves the road, let alone a large machine like a school bus. As seems to be the case in this situation, errors made by the driver are often the root cause of a collision. When a driver makes a mistake like this and causes injury or property damage, Illinois law allows those affected to protect their legal rights via negligence lawsuits. If you are hurt in this way, be sure to contact a qualified injury attorney to learn more.