Chicago Injury Attorney Blog

An Eastern Illinois University student who was riding on the double-decker bus that was involved in the head injury deaths of two men is suing Graywood Foundation, Lincoln Springs Resort, and other parties for personal injury. Michael McKenna, an Eastern student, was riding on the bus when Cameron Chana and Justin Sleezer struck their heads on the Interstate 57 overpass bridge as the bus was driving under it.

The Sleezer and Chana families are suing for Illinois wrongful death. McKenna is suing for his mental injuries. In his Illinois injury complaint, he accuses the bus driver of failing to warn passengers who were on the top level of the bus about certain hazards and neglecting to monitor their behavior while the bus was moving. He is accusing the bus service of failing to properly train its bus drivers. McKenna says the psychological damage he suffered has caused him to suffer physical symptoms. The bus was transporting a group of students back from boating trip in Lake Shelby when the tragic Illinois motor vehicle accident happened in Mattoon.

Bus Accidents
Most buses don’t provide seat belts for passengers to use. This can place the vehicle occupants at risk of serious injury during a bus accident—especially for bus passengers that are riding on the top level of an open double decker bus. It is important that bus companies make sure the proper safety measures are in place to prevent injuries or death.

Earlier this month, the US Department of Transportation presented its Motorcoach Safety Action Plan in an effort to improve motorcoach safety. This is very important considering that some 750 million passengers ride motorcoaches annually.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports 19 motorcoach occupant deaths a year. This fatality count does not include the pedestrians and occupants of the other vehicles that were killed in traffic crashes with motorcoaches.

Bus Accident Adds Lawsuit to List, November 20, 2009

Illinois Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Double-Decker Bus Accident, Chicago Injury Attorney, October 20, 2009

U.S. Department of Transportation Releases New Action Plan to Address Motorcoach Safety Issues, NHTSA, November 16, 2009

Related Web Resource:
Read the US Department of Transportation's Motorcoach Safety Action Plan (PDF)

The family of one of the men who fatally struck his head on an overpass while standing on the top level of a double-decker bus has filed an Illinois wrongful death lawsuit. Cameron Chana was 22.

The tragic Illinois bus accident happened on May 30 as a group traveled from Lake Shelbyville back to Eastern Illinois University. Chana, a Hinsdale Central graduate, was traveling with them.

He and 22-year-old Justin Sleezer struck their heads on the same overpass as the bus was driving under Interstate 57 on Illinois Route 16 outside Mattoon. The two men died from their traumatic head injuries.

According to the Coles County, Illinois wrongful death lawsuit, filed by Lori and Robert Chana, the defendants failed to supervise the behavior of passengers riding on the second level of the bus, neglected to take a different route that did not include the overpass, did not inform bus drivers about the dangers associated with certain bus routes, and did not properly train the bus drivers.

The Chanas' Chicago wrongful death lawyer also has pointed out that bus driver John F. Protz must have known that the overpass was a hazard because he drove a different route on the way to the lake. The Chicago injury attorney said that even though the bus had signs warning passengers not to stand when riding on the top level, the bus driver should have taken steps to ensure that people heeded the warning.

The Illinois wrongful death defendants include Protz, bus company Lincoln Springs Resort LLC, bus owner Graywood Enterprises. Inc., company owner Augustine G. Oruwari, and The Graywood Foundation.

While this type of bus accident might sound unusual or unexpected, this is not the first time anyone has died from getting struck by an overpass while riding a double-decker bus. In 2008, two men suffered traumatic head injuries during an overpass bus accident in the Washington DC area.

Getting struck in the head by a heavy or hard object can be fatal—especially when the impact occurs at a fast speed and the victim has no protection from the collision. Bus drivers and bus companies must ensure that their passengers do not do anything that could cause injury to themselves or others while on the bus.

Lawsuit filed in double-decker bus death, Pioneer Local, October 14, 2009

2nd Victim In Open-Top Bus Accident In D.C. Dies, The Washington Post, July 13, 2009

Two men die in Mattoon, Illinois bus accident after their heads strike an Interstate Highway 57 overpass, Chicago Injury Attorney Blog, June 2, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Brain Injury Association of America

Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center

A Chicago bus accident involving a van rear-ending a Chicago Transit Authority bus has left one woman dead and nine others injured. The catastrophic traffic accident happened on the afternoon of October 6 in the South Side Chatham neighborhood.

According to police, a CTA bus was stopped at Cottage Grove and 83rd Street when a van struck it from behind. 10 people were injured. 5 of the people who got hurt were riding in the van when the Chicago bus crash happened. Van passenger Patricia Blackburn was later pronounced dead at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

This is not the only deadly Chicago bus accident to happen in the past month involving a CTA bus. On September 17, a 51-year-old pedestrian died after he was hit by a CTA bus on Chicago’s South Side. The Chicago Transit Authority says the No. 14 Jeffrey Avenue bus struck Michael Cordell Payne as it pulled away from a bus shelter.

If you were involved in a Chicago bus accident, it is important to speak with an experienced Chicago motor vehicle accident law firm to explore your legal options. A good Chicago injury attorney can determine whether the bus driver, another driver, or another party, such as the municipality or a bus manufacturer, should be held liable for your Illinois bus accident injuries. In some cases, there may be more than one liable party.

Involvement in a bus accident can lead to catastrophic injuries for passengers in the bus and the occupants of the other vehicles involved in the Chicago traffic crash. Most buses are significantly larger in size than cars, pickup trucks, and motorcycles. This means the impact of colliding with a large bus—especially for pedestrians—can be fatal. Also, bus passengers usually do not have seat belts, which means they can easily be flung about during a bus accident and may be susceptible to spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other serious injuries.

Ten hospitalized after CTA bus crash, Chicago Sun-Times, October 6, 2009

Man struck and killed by CTA bus, WBBM, September 18, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Chicago Transit Authority

Regional Transportation Authority

Two Illinois men died in a tragic Mattoon, Illinois bus accident on Saturday. They were standing with several people on top of a double-decker bus on Illinois Highway 16 when they hit their heads on the Interstate Highway 57 overpass. The two men, Clarendon Hills resident Cameron Chana and Yorkville resident Justin Sleezer, were reportedly a few inches taller than the other bus passengers that were with them. They were both 22-years-old.

The bus occupants were primarily students returning from a Lake Shelbyville boating trip. Following the catastrophic accident, the bus driver transported the victims to a local hospital before they were later transferred to an Urbana hospital. Sleezer and Chana were pronounced dead the following morning.

The bus had been rented in Charleston from Lincoln Springs Resort. Passengers say that the bus driver never told the passengers that were on the upper deck to sit down and that no safety precautions were issued. Many of the bus riders were drinking alcohol. Official reports, however, indicate that as the bus was moving down the road, the passengers were told not to stand up.

Police are investigating the catastrophic injury accident to determine whether any regulation violations occurred. Issues under consideration include the clearance height of the overpass bridge, which is 13 feet, 11 inches and the height of the double-decker bus that police say is 13-feet, 6-inches tall. Just a few years ago, a backhoe on a trailer hit the same bridge.

Another issue under investigation is whether a change in the route the bus was supposed to take contributed to the deadly bus accident. A request for a food stop resulted in the bus driver making a stop at a McDonald’s on Illinois 16.

Bus accident investigation continues, TMCnetcom, June 2, 2009

2 suburban men killed in bus accident in Mattoon, Ill., Chicago Tribune, June 2, 2009

Related Web Resources:
Lincoln Springs Resort

NINDS Traumatic Brain Injury Information Page, National Institute of Neurological Disorders

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With so many motorists using cell phones on US roads, the National Safety Council is calling on lawmakers in the District of Columbia and all 50 US states to ban the use of cell phones and messaging devices while people are driving. The Harvard Center of Risk Analysis reports that about 636,000 auto accidents a year occur because a driver was talking on the phone or text messaging. 2,600 people die and 330,000 people are injured annually as a result.

Contrary to popular belief, the NSC says that the University of Utah researchers have studies showing that talking on a hands-free device is not safer than talking on a hand-held cell phone. In Illinois, localities are allowed to come up with their own laws regarding cell phone use by motorists. Chicago has a ban on hand-held cell phones while driving. The entire state, however, prohibits drivers younger than 19 and school bus drivers from using any kind of cell phone when operating their vehicles.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle is seriously impaired when talking on the phone or text messaging because not only do motorists take their eyes off the road when operating their devices, but they can get so involved in their conversations that their concentration is not where it should be—on the road. According to a Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. survey of 1,200 drivers, 73% of the participants use cell phones when operating their vehicles.

Text messaging while driving is also a common habit, especially for teen drivers. Nationwide also found in January 2007 that 19% of drivers admitted to texting while driving.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that drivers who talk and text message on cell phones have a four times greater chance of becoming involved in an injury accident than motorists who don’t use these devices while driving.

National Safety Council Calls for Nationwide Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving, NSC.org

Cell Phone Laws, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Related Web Resources:
Cellphones and Driving, Insurance Information Institute, October 2008

Illinois Cell Phone Laws, DMV.org

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