Chicago Bus Accident Lawyer

Navigating the bustling streets of Chicagoland comes with its risks, particularly when it comes to large vehicles such as buses and commercial delivery trucks.

Accidents involving these vehicles can result in severe injuries and complex legal claims. With the potential for significant damages, victims need to seek experienced legal representation.

D&W Law Group has represented clients here since 1991 and has extensive experience handling bus and commercial vehicle accident cases. The firm’s founding partners, Lance C. Dale and Scott B. Wolfman, have practiced law in Illinois since 1990 and 1993 respectively, and they still personally review the bus and commercial vehicle cases the firm accepts. 

Our hands-on injury attorneys have 75 years of combined experience and are available seven days a week to discuss the details of your injury case personally.

A Potential For Substantial Damages

Injuries involving buses and commercial vehicle accidents are often catastrophic due to these vehicles’ sheer size and weight. Victims may suffer from:

• Severe physical injuries: Broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries and even fatalities.
• Emotional trauma: Psychological impacts such as PTSD, anxiety and depression.
• Financial burdens: Medical bills, loss of income and long-term rehabilitation costs.

The complexity of commercial truck and bus accident cases stems from the substantial insurance policies legally required to do business. These significant insurance policies can be a double-edged sword.

While they increase the possibility of securing a larger settlement, they also mean that insurance companies will aggressively defend against claims to protect their bottom line.

Valuing a catastrophic bus injury claim takes more than a medical bill total. Attorney Mark Curran III holds a finance degree in addition to his law degree, an unusual combination he uses to project future medical costs and lost earning capacity when the firm calculates what a case is really worth.

Contact us for a free consultation.

The Complexity Of Bus Accident Claims

Bus accident claims can be particularly complicated due to the multiple parties involved and specific public transportation regulations. In Chicagoland, two main entities operate buses: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Pace Suburban Bus Service.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)

The CTA operates within the city of Chicago, providing public transportation to thousands of residents and visitors daily. CTA bus accidents can result in injuries to:

• Passengers: Bus passengers can suffer injuries from collisions, sudden stops or other incidents.
• Pedestrians: People walking near bus routes risk being struck by a bus.
• Drivers of other vehicles: Other motorists involved in collisions with CTA buses can sustain severe injuries.

Pace Suburban Bus Service

Pace operates primarily in the suburbs of Chicago, serving a wide area outside the city limits. Similar to the CTA, Pace buses can be involved in accidents leading to injuries among:

• Passengers: Injuries can occur from onboard incidents or during accidents.
• Pedestrians: Suburban areas may have less pedestrian traffic, but risks still exist, especially near bus stops and crossings.
• Drivers of other vehicles: Suburban roads can see severe accidents involving Pace buses and other vehicles.

Legal Considerations In Bus Accident Claims

When pursuing a claim with the help of a knowledgeable bus accident lawyer, several legal considerations come into play:

1. Government immunity: As public entities, the CTA and Pace may invoke sovereign immunity, which can limit or complicate claims. However, exceptions exist for negligence, making it essential to have a knowledgeable attorney.
2. Regulatory compliance: Buses are subject to strict safety regulations. Violations of these regulations can be pivotal in proving negligence.
3. Multiple liable parties: Liability may not rest solely with the bus driver. Other negligent parties can include the bus company, maintenance contractors and manufacturers of faulty parts.

Common Commercial Vehicle Accident Claims

Commercial vehicles, particularly delivery trucks, are common on Chicagoland’s streets and are operated by companies like FedEx, UPS, Amazon and various local businesses. The types of commercial vehicles include:

• Delivery trucks: These range from small vans to large box trucks, frequently navigating residential and commercial areas.
• Freight trucks: Larger vehicles transporting goods, often traveling on highways and major roads.
• Service vehicles: Vehicles used by companies for service calls, such as plumbing or electrical work.

Many of these same investigative steps apply when a semi-truck rather than a bus causes the crash. Our Chicago truck accident lawyers handle the federal hours-of-service violations, overloaded cargo and equipment failures that frequently cause these collisions.

Challenges In Commercial Vehicle Accident Claims

Claims present unique challenges for victims and their commercial vehicle accident lawyers:

1. Corporate defendants: Claims often involve large corporations with substantial legal and financial resources.
2. Insurance policies: Commercial vehicles are covered by extensive insurance policies requiring thorough legal knowledge to navigate claims.
3. Driver regulations: Commercial drivers are subject to stringent federal and state regulations. Noncompliance can be a critical factor in proving negligence.

Steps To Take Following A Commercial Vehicle Accident

If you’re involved in an accident with a bus or commercial vehicle, taking the following steps can strengthen your claim:

1. Seek medical attention: Immediate medical care is crucial for your health and documentation of injuries.
2. Report the accident: Be sure to report the commercial vehicle accident to the police and relevant authorities.
3. Gather evidence: Collect contact information from witnesses, take photos of the scene and document any visible injuries.

Statute Of Limitations And Preserving Evidence In Illinois

Illinois law sets strict deadlines for filing injury claims, and these deadlines differ depending on who operates the vehicle.

If a CTA bus injures you, the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act requires you to commence your lawsuit within one year of the accident, and Illinois courts have dismissed cases filed even slightly after that deadline as time-barred. Illinois law does not require a separate six-month preliminary notice before suing the CTA.

If you miss these deadlines, you lose your right to compensation entirely.

Pace buses fall under a parallel one-year deadline written into the Regional Transportation Authority Act, since Illinois courts have confirmed that Pace operates as a service board subject to the same limitations period that governs the Authority itself.

That means whether the bus that hit you displays a CTA logo or a Pace logo, you are working against the same tight one-year clock rather than the standard two-year window most Illinois injury victims receive.

Private commercial vehicle cases, like accidents with FedEx, UPS or Amazon trucks, give you two years to file. While this sounds like plenty of time, critical evidence disappears fast. Commercial vehicles carry dashcam footage, GPS telematics and electronic logging devices that companies routinely delete or overwrite within weeks.

Your attorney needs to send preservation letters immediately to lock down this evidence before it vanishes.

A note for injured minors: the one-year deadline is not the last word when the injured person is a child. Illinois law pauses the limitations clock during a minor’s childhood, so a child hurt on a CTA bus does not lose the right to sue simply because a year has passed. Courts have held that the minor generally has until one year after the injury or two years after turning 18, whichever is later, to bring the claim.

That said, the interplay between the Tort Immunity Act, the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act and minor tolling rules is fact-specific and has been the subject of real appellate litigation, so a parent should not assume more time exists without a lawyer confirming it first.

How Fault Gets Divided: Illinois’ Modified Comparative Negligence Rule

Chicago bus and commercial vehicle crashes rarely involve just one careless party. A CTA driver may have run a stale yellow light while you were also checking a text message, or a delivery van may have swerved into your lane while you were driving five miles over the limit.

Illinois answers the question of shared blame through modified comparative negligence, the rule that decides how much of your damages you actually collect when more than one person contributed to the crash. Under this standard, you can still recover money as long as your own share of fault does not exceed 50%.

If a jury finds you 30% responsible for a $300,000 injury claim, you still walk away with $210,000. If that number climbs to 51%, Illinois law bars you from recovering anything at all, no matter how badly you were hurt.

This is exactly why insurance adjusters for the CTA, Pace and national trucking companies push so hard to shift even a small percentage of blame onto the injured passenger or driver. Every point of fault they can attach to you is a point of your recovery they do not have to pay.

Preserving bus camera footage, 911 calls and witness statements before they disappear is often what keeps your fault percentage low enough to matter.

The Role Of A Skilled Commercial Vehicle Accident Attorney

Given the complexities of these cases, having experienced legal representation is vital. A skilled attorney can:

• Investigate thoroughly: Conduct comprehensive investigations to gather evidence and identify liable parties.
• Navigate legal nuances: Understand and maneuver through the intricate legal landscape, including government immunity and regulatory compliance.
• Negotiate aggressively: Deal with insurance companies to secure fair compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and other damages.
• Litigate if necessary: If a fair settlement cannot be reached, advocate vigorously on your behalf and take the case to court.

Acting quickly protects your case. The sooner you contact an attorney, the better your chances of securing every piece of evidence you need to prove your claim and recover full compensation.

Lance Dale earned his law degree with honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law and has carried an active, discipline-free Illinois law license since 1990. Scott Wolfman, a DePaul University College of Law graduate, has practiced Illinois personal injury and commercial vehicle law since 1993.

Both remain members of the American Association for Justice and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the firm holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Case Results

Every bus accident case is different, and the amount recovered in one case does not predict what another case is worth. Still, these results reflect the kind of catastrophic bus injuries D&W Law Group has resolved for Chicago-area clients:

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Where Your Chicago Bus Accident Lawsuit Gets Filed

If your CTA or Pace claim survives the one-year deadline, it will almost certainly be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Personal injury claims over $30,000 arising in Chicago proceed in the court’s Law Division, housed at the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602.

The Daley Center sits in the heart of the Loop, a short walk from CTA rail lines and several Pace-connected transfer points, which is more than a little ironic given how many of the cases heard there involve the CTA itself as a defendant.

Smaller claims, including many Rule 25 arbitration-eligible cases valued under $50,000, may be resolved through the court’s mandatory arbitration program before ever reaching a jury.

Serious Lawyers For Serious Injury Cases

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Frequently Asked Questions

Bus and commercial vehicle accidents raise urgent questions for injured victims. Understanding your rights and the time-sensitive nature of these claims helps you protect your recovery. Here are answers to the most common questions we hear from clients across Chicagoland:

How long do I have to file an injury claim against the CTA or a local municipality after a bus crash?

You have one year from the accident date to file your lawsuit against the CTA or Pace. Illinois law does not require a separate six-month preliminary notice. This deadline is shorter than standard personal injury cases involving private companies, so contact an attorney immediately.

Can I still recover compensation if I was partially at fault for a collision with a delivery van in Chicago?

Yes. Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule. You can recover damages as long as you are 50% or less at fault. Your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault, but you won’t lose your right to recover entirely unless your share of fault exceeds 50%.

Why is investigating a commercial vehicle crash quickly so critical for my case?

Commercial trucks and buses record valuable data, such as dashcam video, GPS routes and driver logs, that companies delete or overwrite within days or weeks. Your attorney must act fast to preserve this evidence. Delays can mean losing the proof you need to win.

Does the one-year CTA deadline apply if I was a pedestrian, not a passenger?

Yes. The one-year filing deadline under the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act applies to any personal injury or wrongful death claim brought against the CTA, whether you were riding the bus, driving another vehicle or walking near a bus stop when the collision happened.

Is a Pace or RTA bus accident claim handled differently than a CTA claim?

Both follow essentially the same one-year filing deadline, but they arise under different sections of Illinois transit law. Because Pace, the CTA and the Regional Transportation Authority are each separate legal entities, identifying the correct defendant and the correct statute early on matters as much as meeting the deadline itself.

Can D&W Law Group help my family if we don’t speak English fluently?

Yes. D&W Law Group provides client service in English, Spanish and Polish, which matters in a city with as many multilingual households as Chicago has. You should not have to navigate a language barrier on top of a serious injury.

What should I do if the bus company or a commercial carrier’s insurer contacts me directly?

Speak with a lawyer before giving a recorded statement or accepting an early settlement offer. Insurance adjusters for large carriers are trained to minimize payouts, and an early statement can be used against you later even if you were not at fault.

What if my child was injured on a CTA or school bus?

Discuss the case with an attorney immediately rather than waiting. While Illinois recognizes some tolling protections for minors, the interaction between those protections and the transit agencies’ one-year deadline is legally complicated, and confirming the correct deadline early protects your child’s right to recover.

Your Bus And Commercial Vehicle Attorneys

Injuries involving city buses and commercial vehicles in Chicago can lead to severe injuries and complex legal battles. With the potential for significant damages and the involvement of extensive insurance policies, victims need experienced commercial vehicle or bus accident lawyers to navigate these challenging claims.

Whether facing the CTA, Pace or commercial delivery vehicles, understanding the intricacies of these cases is crucial for securing fair compensation. Initial consultations are free, and we charge no legal fees until we win your case.

Talk To A Chicago Bus Accident Lawyer Today

A one-year deadline does not leave room to wait and see how you feel next month. Contact D&W Law Group today for a free consultation.