Wauconda Bus Crash Involves 94-Old-Driver and High School Students
Four high school students and their bus driver escaped injury Thursday afternoon when a 94-year-old motorist sideswiped their school bus in unincorporated Wauconda. The collision occurred around 2:50 p.m. near the intersection of Route 59 and North Anderson Road.
The Wauconda Fire District and Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash scene following reports of an accident involving a school bus with unknown injuries. Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli stated that a Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 bus, operated by a 40-year-old Waukegan woman, was traveling southbound on Route 59. The bus had just departed Wauconda High School carrying four students and was stopped to turn right onto westbound North Anderson Road while waiting for traffic to clear.
Buick SUV Driver Reports Brake Failure Near Route 59
A Buick SUV driven by a 94-year-old Wauconda woman struck the passenger side of the school bus as the vehicle attempted to make the turn onto Anderson Road. Covelli noted that the elderly driver reported her brakes failed while she tried to slow down, prompting her to steer onto the shoulder in an effort to avoid a direct rear-end collision with the bus.
The impact caused damage to the school bus, affecting the exit door, bumper, and crossing control arm. Despite the damage, all four high school students and the adult bus driver emerged uninjured. Emergency responders transported the 94-year-old SUV driver to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington with suspected minor injuries.
Brake Malfunction Suspected in Buick Collision
Investigators inspected the Buick following the collision, and preliminary findings indicate that the vehicle’s brakes may indeed have malfunctioned. Authorities have not announced any traffic citations in connection with the crash.
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