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| Photo courtesy of Chicago Tribune. |
Around 6 p.m., a southbound, No. 6 Jackson Park Express bus, traveling along 2800 South Lake Shore Dr., lost control and slammed into a tree.
There were an estimated 70 passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. It's being reported that nearly 40 passengers, including the bus driver, were injured.
15 to 20 ambulances responded to the crash.
Those in need of medical attention were taken to area hospitals in serious, to good condition. Some passengers refused medical attention at the scene. No fatalities were reported.
Even though the cause of this accident has not been determined, as a former Hyde Park resident, this news left me mortified. It felt like a nightmare, come true.
I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have been alarmed at the speed in which the No. 6 Express bus whips down Lake Shore Dr.! I cannot recall all the times I morbidly envisioned an overly crowded bus losing control, and passengers’ bodies flying everywhere.
Luckily, there were no fatalities - this time. And like said, the cause of the accident is still under investigation. But CTA needs to sit up and take notice of what happened here. There are several very valuable lessons to be learned.
Number one: Slow down on the expressway. Some of the express buses are moving way too fast for their size. Everyone knows, the larger the vehicle and the faster it travels, the harder it is to stop.
Number two: Increase the number of buses that service that route. If the express buses ran more frequently, they wouldn’t be dangerously overloaded with passengers.
Number three: Slow down! Slow down! Slow down!
Hey , I was in the bus at the end and I couldnot recognize what happen exactly but I felt the leaves of the tree inter the the bus glasses and then when the bus hit the tree I flyed in the bus and hit my head, my glasses broke and I was shocked from paasenger`s screaming, actually Iam a new student here from Egypt and it was a bad experience here for me
ReplyDeletedoaa, first of all, let me say that I am glad you are okay. I can only imagine how frightening this must have been for you and the other passengers.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell if the bus was swerving before it went off course and hit the tree? Or did the accident seem to happen all of a sudden?
Iam not sure exactly what happen but at the begning I thought we only hit the tree`s truck and after I was flying and fell to the ground ,at this moment I could recoginze that the driver wasnot able to control the bus.my question is why there is no settle belts at the bus? like cars
ReplyDeletedoaa, regarding the lack of seat belts, I have been wondering the same thing, for years. And thank you for answering my question.
ReplyDeleteactually I lost my bag in the bus it has a wool coat ,gloves inside if someone can help me to find it
ReplyDeleteThere are two things you can do to possibly locate your stolen items: first, call the garage where the no. 6 bus is usually housed. The number is (773) 978-7940. Or, you can call CTA's main number and explain to them what happened. That number is 1-888-968-7282. Hope this helps.
ReplyDelete