People tend to base their decisions about their commute to and from work on several different factors. For some, driving a personal vehicle may be quicker or allow them a brief amount of quiet time before they walk into the hustle and bustle of the office. Others choose public transportation for financial or environmental reasons. Some may even perceive public transportation in Illinois to be less prone to accidents than passenger vehicles are to having a car accident. Unfortunately, this belief may not always be true.
A 35-year-old woman claimed that she had the right of way as she proceeded through what she believed to have been a green light. As she entered the intersection, she collided with the side of a bus. Four people aboard the bus suffered injuries in the wreck. The driver of the passenger vehicle was also injured.
Witnesses indicated that the car driver didn’t actually have the right of way. According to some individuals, she ran a red light just moments before striking the bus. Although she was not arrested, she will likely be ticketed for various offenses, including failing to reduce her speed.
A lack of criminal charges does not mean that there is a lack of financial responsibility on the part of the driver that police believe caused the wreck. Illinois law permits victims of a car accident to pursue a personal injury claim against the driver deemed responsible for the collision. In successfully litigating such a claim, victims may be awarded monetary damages for their injuries, which can include recourse for medical bills, pain and suffering and even lost wages if their injury put them out of work for any period of time.
Source: bnd.com, “Belleville woman may be ticketed in Metro bus crash”, Nov. 4, 2014