Eleven people have been injured in a CTA bus crash in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. The bus had collided with a sports utility vehicle in an incident that remains under police investigation.
Cause of CTA Bus Crash Under Investigation
On May 21, 2019, at approximately 6:30 a.m., a CTA bus collided with a sports utility vehicle at the 4100 block of South Ashland Avenue in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood.
Eleven people were reportedly treated for injuries in the CTA bus crash. Two were taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital in serious-to-critical condition, including one person who had been in the sports utility vehicle. Four others were transported to the University of Illinois Hospital, with three in good-to-fair condition and one in fair-to-serious condition. Three people were taken to Rush University Medical Center in good-to-fair condition, while two others were transported to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center, one in good-to-fair condition and one in fair-to-serious condition.
The cause of the CTA bus crash remains under investigation, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Personal Injury Cases and Public Transportation
Chicago residents take more than 500 million public transportation rides each year. With so many trips being taken, the risk of injury can be significant. Trains may derail, buses may crash, and commuters may slip and fall in stations.
Because they are paid to transport the public, Illinois law defines buses and trains as “common carriers.” As common carriers, they are subject to a higher duty of care for the safety of their passengers, and their operators are expected to be more cautious than regular drivers. Any failure to exercise this higher duty of care could be classified as negligence. People who are injured from this negligence may be able to pursue a personal injury claim against the company operating the common carrier, such as the CTA.
Obtaining compensation for a public transportation accident can prove challenging, however. In certain cases, there could be multiple potential causes, including faulty traffic and train signals, distracted operators, poorly maintained tracks, mechanical failure, or overloaded trains and buses. Sometimes another driver may be at fault instead of the operator of the bus or train, meaning that the at-fault driver is the party that an injured person must pursue for damages.
A personal injury attorney with experience in public transportation accidents can promptly initiate a detailed investigation to figure out exactly what happened in a CTA bus crash or another similar incident. Only by determining the cause of a public transportation accident can the plaintiff properly identify the responsible party. Depending upon the nature of the accident, an injured person may be able to pursue a claim against the company operating the vehicle, the company maintaining the tracks (if any), the manufacturer of the public transportation vehicle, the driver of another vehicle, or some combination of these. Identifying all the parties who are at fault in a timely manner is crucial. Plaintiffs who fail to bring their cases forward within the time specified by law may find themselves forever barred from obtaining compensation for their injuries.
Chicago Public Transportation Accident Attorneys
Because of the difficulties involved in pursuing a personal injury claim, injured people often find that they might benefit from the guidance of an experienced attorney to help them obtain the financial compensation they deserve, such as the Chicago public transportation accident attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers.
With over $2 billion recovered for our clients and more than forty years in the business, GWC is one of the premier Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firms in Illinois.
If you have been wrongfully injured, in a CTA bus crash or in some other way, please contact GWC today to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys. Call our office at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with a representative at any time.
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