According to Illinois State Police, a semi-truck crashed into a line of cars stopped in slow-moving traffic on Interstate 94’s far right westbound lane. The accident occurred close to Six Flags Great America. Six other vehicles were involved besides the truck.

State police said the truck failed to slow down for traffic and plowed into a 2012 Ford Focus. The resulting pileup caused a 2014 Jeep Wrangler to become airborne and land on another car’s roof. Another vehicle overturned. The incident occurred at about 5:45 p.m. and obstructed rush hour traffic for approximately five hours.

Seven people were hospitalized with minor injuries, while one other person was in critical condition. Gurnee Fire Department Battalion Chief Bob Herazer said two victims had to be extricated from their vehicles.

Authorities said a 31-year-old man from Joliet was driving the truck. However, his identity has not been released. No tickets were issued to the driver nor any charges filed in the crash.

As part of their investigation, police examined a YouTube video that captured the collision. It was shot from a moving vehicle ahead of the semi-truck. Illinois State Police Capt. Robert Meeder said investigators were aiming to identify the person who took the video so that they could obtain a witness statement.

If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, call the personal injury attorneys at Briskman Briskman & Greenberg.

The accident occurred April 5 in Lake County, when a school bus collided with a Jeep Cherokee and a Jeep Wrangler at an intersection near Wadsworth. The driver of the Jeep Wrangler was killed; none of the school children had serious injuries. There is a dispute as to whether the bus ran a red light. According to reports, the bus driver is 55 years of age and has been a licensed bus driver for 10 years, with a clean driving record.

According to a report by CBS 2, Durham School Services, the company that owns the bus involved in the accident, has been named as a defendant in three personal injury lawsuits in the past two years. A settlement was reached in one case and the other two are pending. Durham School Services said that safety is the company’s top priority and the company will cooperate fully with authorities investigating the accident.

Public attention has also been brought to the intersection where the accident occurred: the corner of Kilbourne Road and Route 173 near Wadsworth in suburban Lake County. According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, between 2004 and 2011, 53 accidents took place at the intersection, with a total of 24 people injured and one killed. It is described as a “high-severity crash” intersection. Traffic lights were installed just last year with the goal of improving safety.

Meanwhile, although the school children on board the bus escaped with only minor injuries, the accident has spurred renewed calls for mandatory seat belts on school buses. State Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, has pushed for new school buses to be equipped with shoulder and lap belts for students. Lang has been working for such legislation for 10 years, with little success.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), school buses are one of the safest transportation methods for school kids. The chance of a fatal crash for children is 60 times greater if they are driving themselves to school or riding with a friend, and riding with parents is still much more dangerous than riding a school bus. The sheer size of school buses allows the force of a crash to be dispersed, and occupants are protected by closely-spaced, heavily padded seats.

Bob Briskman is a Chicago vehicle accident attorney with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit http://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.

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