Two similar crashes occurred on New Year’s Day, one in Illinois and another in LaPorte County, Indiana. In one accident close to Peoria, a southbound vehicle on Ill. 394 crashed through a highway barrier after the driver lost control. The vehicle then hit a pickup truck traveling northbound, flipped over and caught on fire. Despite the apparent severity of this car accident, the only injuries sustained were minor ones.
However, a crash in northwestern Indiana that also involved loss of control proved to be deadly. A man driving a white pickup truck was traveling west on U.S. 20 when he lost control. Investigators believe that slick roads played a part in the accident. The truck collided with an eastbound bus from a Michigan casino that was carrying between 70 and 80 people. The impact caused the driver of the truck to be ejected from the vehicle. He died at the scene of the accident from blunt force trauma. The bus came to a stop in a field approximately 300 yards from the road.
While 15 bus passengers were injured, none of their injuries were deemed life-threatening, and were sent to nearby hospitals. Other passengers were later picked up by a different bus. The crash is still under investigation. It was reported that the road conditions caused vehicles to slide off the roads in the area, but none of these minor “slide-offs” resulted in serious injury.
While the driver of the bus died, the injured may still be able to pursue legal action to obtain compensation for their injuries, and the surviving family of the bus driver may be able to pursue a wrongful death claim. Further assessment of the accident site and the circumstances surrounding the crash may be needed before potential plaintiffs decide whether or not to take legal action against the driver of the white pickup. If a completed accident report determines that he was driving too quickly for conditions, it may be possible to file a claim against him based on negligent or reckless driving.
Source: NWI, “Griffith man killed in crash involving bus“, Elvia Malagon, January 01, 2014