What are Some Facts About Bus Accidents in Illinois?

there were 1,667 school bus crashes in 2013.
the CTA makes 20,000 trips a day.
almost 20% of Illinois pedestrian accident plaintiffs recover more than $1,000,000.
more than half of all Illinois pedestrian accident plaintiffs file in Cook County.

How Do These Numbers Affect My Case?
How Do Cases Differ By County?
Do You Want To Learn More About Illinois Bus Accidents?

General Information:

In 2013, there were 1,667 school bus crashes.
In 2013, there were 5 school bus fatalities and 309 school bus injuries.
In 2013, there were 4 traditional bus fatalities and 550 traditional bus injuries.
In 2013, there were 1,417 school bus crashes in urban areas and 250 school bus crashes in rural areas.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Bus Information:

It owns and operates almost 2,000 buses.
It runs on over 100 bus routes.
Its bus routes cover a little more than 1,000 miles.
It has over 10,000 bus stops.
Daily it makes nearly 20,000 trips.

Litigation Information:

Here is a breakdown of jury awards and settlement amounts for Illinois bus accidents as compiled from jury verdict reporters and public settlement information:

RECOVERY RANGE
$0
$1-$50,000
$50,000-$100,000
$100,000-$200,000
$200,000-$500,000
$500,000-$1,000,000
$1,000,000-$2,000,000
$2,000,000-$5,000,000
>$5,000,000

PERCENTAGE OF PLAINTIFFS
17%
36%
8%
8%
9%
4%
7%
7%
4%

Breakdown of popular counties for bus accident litigation in Illinois:

County
Cook
Winnebago
DuPage
Kane
Lake
McHenry
Madison
Champaign
Peoria

% Of Cases
59%
6%
5%
5%
3%
2%
2%
2%
1%

How Do These Numbers Affect My Case?

While these numbers are helpful, it is important not to read too much into them. They affect your case only in the sense that they provide context or a framework for juries and judges to make decisions. Consider them more like landmarks than predictors for your Chicago bus accident award. Skilled attorneys should be able to highlight them or minimize them depending upon how much they would help or hurt your case. This is possible because cases are normally never the same on the facts. Therefore, you and your attorney should review relevant case law to determine how you can bolster your lawsuit with past Illinois jury awards or settlement amounts.

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How Do Cases Differ By County?

Cook County plays host to many personal injury lawsuits in Illinois including those involving bus accidents. But other counties see a vast amount of them as well especially on Lake, Winnebago, Madison, Kane, Will, and other counties. It is important to realize that each county and courthouse has its own rules and requirements on things like drafting, filing, and arguing. Failure to grasp these differences can significantly affect your case. One of the first things that you should do at the onset of your suit is go to the courthouse and get the court's rules. Then, study what the particular judge's preferences are and what his past rulings on similar subjects were so that you gain a sense of what you are up against. Learning about how your county differs from others on bus accident case rules is critical to the success of your lawsuit. To help learn more about this issue, contact our offices and speak with one of our lawyers.

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Do You Want To Learn More About Illinois Bus Accidents?

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC works with bus accident victims and their families to help them understand the laws of Illinois. Once they learn about the recovery options available, they normally decide to pursue compensation in court. Many clients choose us to represent them because they know the passion, skill, and resources that we can bring to their case. To hear about how we can make sure you get the compensation you deserve, call us today.

Types:

Causes:

Other MVA:

For additional information see the following pages:

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Extremely impressed with this law firm. They took control of a bad motorcycle crash that left my uncle seriously injured. Without any guarantee of a financial recovery, they went out and hired accident investigators and engineers to help prove how the accident happened. I am grateful that they worked on a contingency fee basis as there was no way we could have paid for these services on our own. Ethan Armstrong

This lawyer really helped me get compensation for my motorcycle accident case. I know there is no way that I could have gotten anywhere near the amount that Mr. Rosenfeld was able to get to settle my case. Thank you. Daniel Kaim

Jonathan helped my family heal and get compensation after our child was suffered a life threatening injury at daycare. He was sympathetic and in constant contact with us letting us know all he knew every step of the way. We were so blessed to find Jonathan! Giulia

Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial. Lisa

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