Ten people were hospitalized following a three-vehicle CTA bus accident in the Chatham neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.
CTA Bus Accident Sends Victims to Four Hospitals
The CTA bus accident took place at the intersection of 79th Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue on March 2, 2020, shortly after 4:00 p.m. According to preliminary information from the Chicago Police Department, a CTA bus collided a black vehicle, which then struck a school bus.
The Chicago Fire Department transported three people to Saint Bernard Hospital, two of them in good condition and one in fair-to-serious condition. Another person was taken in fair-to-serious condition to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Three other people were transported to Jackson Park Hospital, while another three were taken to South Shore Hospital, all reportedly in good condition.
According to authorities, no children were hospitalized in the incident. The cause of the CTA bus accident remains under investigation.
How Are Public Transportation Cases Challenging?
Each year, Chicagoans take over 500 million public transportation rides. The sheer number of trips creates a serious potential for injury, whether in a CTA bus accident, a Metra train derailment, or a slip-and-fall in a transportation center.
But public transportation cases can be more challenging than those involving private parties. In addition to the usual challenges involved in establishing who is at fault for a given incident, municipal entities like the CTA enjoy certain protections that the average citizen does not. Among the most important of these protections is a shortened “Statute of Limitations,” which is the time specified by law in which an injured party has to file a lawsuit or otherwise resolve a personal injury claim.
In most instances in Illinois, personal injury cases involving municipal entities, such as a CTA bus accident, have a Statute of Limitations of one year, as opposed to the two years in cases brought against private parties (with certain exceptions). Failure to file a lawsuit or resolve a claim against a municipal entity within one year may result in an injured person being forever barred from obtaining compensation.
This abbreviated Statute of Limitations period can significantly hinder a plaintiff’s ability to conduct a proper investigation. In certain public transportation accidents, there could be multiple causes, such as overloaded buses and trains, distracted operators, defective traffic and train signals, mechanical failure, or poorly maintained tracks. Sometimes, an outside party may be at least partially at fault for an incident, making it difficult to determine whether to pursue that outside party, the municipal entity, or some combination of both.
Public Transportation Accident Lawyers Making a Difference
This is where an experienced public transportation accident attorney, such as the ones at GWC Injury Lawyers LLC, can make a difference.
GWC’s knowledgeable attorneys can promptly initiate a detailed investigation into the root causes of a CTA bus accident or some other similar incident. Additionally, we can identify all of the entities who may bear responsibility in the matter. This will allow us both to pursue them within the time limited by law and maximize the amount of financial recovery. And with over $2 billion in verdicts and settlements, we think GWC’s record of success speaks for itself.
So if you have been wrongfully injured, in a CTA bus accident or in some other way, contact GWC to schedule a free consultation with one of our Chicago car accident lawyers. You may call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.
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