Illinois: 3 buses, 2 cop cars and a fire truck: Rash of crashes hits Lake County
Three people, including two students, were hospitalized earlier this month after a crash involving a school bus and a Honda Civic on Grand Avenue in Lake Villa.
Three people, including two students, were hospitalized earlier this month after a crash involving a school bus and a Honda Civic on Grand Avenue in Lake Villa. (Joe Shuman / News-Sun)
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A combination of bad weather, drivers accused of being under the influence and other traffic distractions has led to an unusual number crashes involving school buses, police squad cars and a fire truck over a recent seven-day period in Lake County.
The most serious crashes involved two Lake County sheriff's police cars, while three school buses and a Wauconda fire engine were also damaged.
Last weekend, a deputy was sitting inside his car when he was struck from behind. The deputy was near Route 12 and Russell Drive, checking on a car that had gone into a ditch around 3 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 10. The squad car was blocking the southbound, inside lane of the four-lane roadway while a tow truck was removing the car.
Slammed from behind by a 2000 Toyota Solara, the squad car was pushed an estimated 30 feet from where it was parked.
The driver of the Solara, 20-year-old Gaitano W. Lombardo, of the 500 block of Old County Way in Wauconda, was later charged with driving under the influence of drugs and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
A second sheriff's vehicle was involved in a crash at Winchester and Midlothian roads at about 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 11, after the deputy was waved through the intersection along with other drivers by a traffic control officer. Traffic was being directed away from an earlier fatal accident at Route 83 and Midlothian.
Mundelein Deputy Police Chief John Monahan said the traffic control officer and the stop light were sending opposing messages, which resulted in a pick-up truck plowing into an unmarked sheriff's vehicle.
"It's an odd situation. Obviously a mistake was made. It was an unfortunate incident," Monahan said.
The deputies in both the Sunday and Monday crashes were taken to a local hospital and later released. Lake County's Major Crash Assistance Team is assisting in both investigations.
"It's unusual," Lake County Undersheriff Ray Rose said of the multiple crashes.
Over the same weekend, Rose said, a Chicago police officer and an Illinois state trooper were rear-ended by drivers believed to be under the influence. Rose said drunken drivers have a hard time navigating roads with the police lights flashing.
"It causes them to lose focus and they're almost drawn into it. Luckily no one was seriously injured," Rose said.
The public cost related to the crashes is expected to be minimal because Rose said the department plans to pursue compensation through the other drivers' insurance.
"It's not going to cost taxpayer dollars," said Rose, though he added that it does strain the police force because they are down two deputies.
The first bus crash occurred the morning of Jan. 5 on Rollins Road near Sheldon Road in Grayslake. Police said a driver traveling in the opposite direction tried to make a pass but slid across the center line due to slick road conditions. The bus rolled over after impact in a crash that set off another two-car accident, police said.
There were no serious injuries. A 25-year-old Ingleside man was cited for driving too fast for conditions.
On the morning of Jan. 8, two students from Waukegan were hospitalized with minor injuries after their school bus was involved in a crash on Grand Avenue. A 72-year-old man driving the other vehicle involved was also taken to a local hospital.
Lake Villa police said the man had been distracted when he crossed the center line. The investigation is ongoing and potential citations remain under review.
The third school bus incident occurred Tuesday afternoon in Round Lake Beach.
Police said a school bus driver made a wide turn from Lake Avenue onto Hainesville Road, forcing another driver to take evasive action. That car crashed into a ditch without striking the school bus. No tickets had been written by Friday afternoon, police said.
The Wauconda fire engine was involved in an accident at about 5 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, while en route to assist the Grayslake Fire Department on the 2400 block of Stallion Court. The fire truck crashed into another vehicle at Route 60 and Kristina Lane in Round Lake.
According to a police report, the fire truck driver said the other car did not move over far enough, causing a side collision. The other driver, however, told police the car had yielded and was on the road's shoulder. The police report also quoted witnesses who said weather and road conditions played a role.
The fire engine was damaged and had to be removed from service, officials said.
No citations were issued.
Rose said command staff at the sheriff's office has discussed the string of accidents, and surmised that the mild winter has drivers not yet in the mindset of taking winter safety precautions.
"We've not had a lot of bad-driving weather and we think that's a contributing factor," he said
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