Why Chicago Bus Accidents Happen: When Bus Crash Is Not the Fault of the Bus Driver or Bus Company

In Chicago and the greater Chicago area, people are hurt in bus accidents more than many might think, and these bus crashes happen in all sorts of ways. Different types or sizes of buses; weather conditions; traffic hassles; road construction work zones; distracted drivers: there are lots of reasons why someone might be hurt in a Chicago bus accident.

For more on Chicago bus crashes, read: Things to Know About Chicago Transit Authority Bus Accident Claims; Commercial Buses in Chicago: Risks of Bus Accidents in Chicagoland; and Chicago School Bus Accidents and Injury Claims.

Types of Bus Crashes Facing Chicagoland

Bus accidents, from the standpoint of safety agencies, government regulators, and advocates for bus crash victims and their loved ones, are never the same. Each incident must be independently investigated to determine all the reasons why it has happened, and why and how people have been hurt. However, bus crashes can be categorized into several types of collisions. They include:

Rear-End Collision

In these bus accidents, either the bus fails to stop in time and collides with the vehicle in front of it, or the bus is hit from behind by another vehicle. Things like tailgating, the notoriously bad winter weather conditions on Chicago streets, and drivers distracted in their cars are all reasons for these types of bus accidents.

T-Bone Collision

When the bus slams into another vehicle on its side (either driver’s door or passenger’s door), then the collision is known as a “T-Bone” for obvious reasons. However, Chicago buses can also be broadsided, in a T-Bone collision where another vehicle hits the bus on its side. Drivers who run a red light; speed; or drive under the influence may cause a T-Bone accident, as well as black ice or other road conditions that cause the crash.

Rollovers

Buses are heavy and high motor vehicles and there are risks with this design. In very high winds; as well as driving too fast around curves or corners; or moving through a road with bad design for large trucks and buses, the bus may flip onto the roadway, coming to a halt on its side or on its roof.

Pileups

Chicago is known for its traffic snarls, and buses may have to move through a heavy volume of cars, pickups, semis, SUVs, and vans as it follows its route. There is also our notorious winter weather, where roads are impacted with ice, sleet, or snow. In heavy traffic, buses may be involved in a multi-vehicle accident, where a chain-reaction results in several vehicles all colliding with each other.

Also see: Bus Accidents in Chicago: Available Injury Damages Depend Upon the Bus; Rollover Danger: What You Need to Know Driving Roads in Indiana and Illinois; and Winter Weather Accidents: Ice And Snow On Roads Of Indiana And Illinois;

Causes of Chicago Bus Accidents Other Than Bus Driver or Bus Service

When there is a bus crash, it is understandable to assume that the bus driver was responsible, or the bus company (owner or operator of the bus itself) is liable in some way. Of course, advocates for bus accident victims will carefully consider the legal duties placed on bus drivers and bus companies and will compare these responsibilities to the facts of the specific case.

However, Chicago bus accidents are not always the fault of the bus driver or bus service. Accident reconstruction experts may study the bus crash and find its causes are found elsewhere.

For instance, a driver fleeing from police may be driving very recklessly and very fast, and in the police chase slams into a bus that has no chance of avoiding the fleeing car. This happened recently, when a driver trying to get away from police by speeding away, ran a red light and hit a Pace bus at the corner of Halsted and Vermont. Read, “Vehicle fleeing police pursuit slams into PACE bus, leaving 11 hurt,” written by NBC Chicago Staff and published by NBC Chicago on July 10, 2025.

There may be a pile-up where the bus is suddenly involved in a serious collision with terrific force and impact coming from other motor vehicles and through no fault of the bus driver or the bus itself. Last year, this type of accident happened here in Chicago when two cars were involved in a crash at an intersection with such force that one vehicle was slammed into a Pace bus stopped at the intersection light. Fire erupted and local hero Arthur Jones, driver of the bus, rescued bus victims from the blaze. Read, “Pace bus driver rescues 2 passengers after fiery crash with multiple vehicles in Glenwood,” written by Christian Farr and published by NBC Chicago on July 3, 2024.

T-Bone collisions are also known to happen in Chicagoland where a bus is suddenly broadsided by a driver of another vehicle. Consider the incident last year, when a CTA bus was slammed by a van as the bus was moving through the intersection of Cottage Grove and 79^th Street, causing over a dozen bus passengers to be injured. Read, “13 hurt, 3 seriously, in CTA bus crash on Chicago’s South Side,” published by NBC Chicago on March 29, 2024.

Bus Accident Claims When Crash Caused by Third Parties

In these instances, Illinois state law provides redress to the bus crash victims under various legal bases. Lawsuits seeking monetary damages can be filed based on things like product liability; premises liability; negligence; or respondeat superior (employer liable for employee’s actions).

There may be joint and several liability here, where more than one defendant is found liable to the bus crash victims for damages. This will allow the victim to obtain all personal injury damages from one liable party even if there are others also legally at fault.

Bus crash victims have the right to their own investigation into these accidents. The expertise of accident reconstructionists and experienced bus crash personal injury lawyers can be invaluable to them. Bus accident victims can start by obtaining a traffic crash report from the Chicago Police Department to learn law enforcement’s determinations, as well as investigating local attorneys for counsel that will be best suited to represent them.

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Bus accident happen much too often here in Chicagoland. People can get seriously hurt or killed in a bus crash where the bus driver and the bus company have done everything right. Please be careful out there!