At least 17 injured in crash involving two school buses in Lake County

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. (August 1, 2019) – At least 17 people were transported to the hospital and 70 others evaluated by paramedics after a chain-reaction crash involving two school buses Thursday morning in Lake County.

Police say the crash occurred just before 11 a.m. near Route 137 and River Road in unincorporated Libertyville. When the buses slowed down for traffic ahead, a dump truck behind them was not able to slow down in time and hit one of the buses. This prompted a chain reaction crash, causing three of the four school buses to run into each other.

The Lake County Sheriff’s office said none of the injuries were life threatening, but further information on conditions weren’t immediately available.

Photos of the rear end accidents scene showed a truck with extensive damage to its hood and front bumper. The rear end of one bus was missing a window pane and had a warped bumper and emergency exit door.

The buses were carrying a total of 144 campers between the ages of 5 and 14 and camp counselors from the North Suburban YMCA Summer Camp in Northbrook. Camp officials worked with the busing company to bring the children and counselors back to camp following the crash.

The three bus drivers and the 44-year-old Elgin man driving the truck were not injured. No tickets were issued, but Lake County Sheriff’s Sgt. Christopher Covelli said the truck driver will likely be cited.

READ MORE | 17 children injured in bus crash near Libertyville