Three injured when school bus, squad car collide

A Fremont Elementary District 79 school bus collided with a Lake County sheriff’s police car responding to a call on Thursday in Fremont Township, authorities said.

The accident happened about 4 p.m. at the intersection of Route 60 and Blackhawk Trail, west of Round Lake Park.

Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District Capt. Bill Rohrs said one sheriff’s deputy and two students were transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with nonlife-threatening injuries.

Eastbound lanes of Route 60 were closed, but westbound lanes were open to traffic.

According to a release from the Lake County Sheriff’s office, a preliminary investigation has revealed that Deputy Jakub Klatka, 26, was en route to a domestic call while driving west on Route 60 near Round Lake. The release states Klatka had his lights and sirens running when he proceeded into the eastbound lanes of Route 60 while attempting to pass.

As Klatka approached Blackhawk Trail, the school bus, which was westbound on Route 60, turned in front of him, and Klatka was unable to stop, the release said.

Deputies have determined that two adults and 44 children were on the bus.

Authorities said a 12-year-old girl sustained a cut above her eye and was transported to Condell, where she received three stitches. An 11 year-old girl sustained a bump on her head and was transported to Condell as well. Both girls were treated and released.

Klatka sustained a cut to the back of his head that required three stitches and a cut to the front of his head that required five stitches. He also suffered a broken left hand.

School district authorities sent another bus to the scene to pick up the remainder of the children, who were then driven home, authorities said.

The driver of the bus, 41 year-old Erica Hintze of Round Lake, was uninjured in the crash, which is still under investigation.