12 Round Lake students injured in bus accident
All of the Round Lake area students and teachers involved in a Thursday morning bus accident in Spring Grove have been released from area hospitals, authorities said Friday.
Spring Grove Police Chief Tom Sanders said 12 people, all adults and students from Round Lake Area School District 116, were taken to Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry and Centegra Memorial Hospital in Woodstock with nonlife threatening injuries. They were released Thursday night, Sanders added.
School officials said the students and faculty were heading out on a field trip when the accident occurred.
Sanders said three buses were westbound on Route 12 when a car in front of them suddenly slowed and stopped to make a left turn at Mary Jane. The bus drivers claim the car did not signal before turning, Sanders added.
The first bus in line managed to swerve around the car, but the second slammed on its brakes, causing the third bus to hit it from behind.
The car that turned left continued on Mary Lane, Sanders said, adding the driver probably did not know an accident occurred behind him or her. That driver is not wanted for questioning.
There were between 50 people - both students and adults - on each bus, Sanders said. Rescue crews from McHenry Township, Fox Lake, Antioch, Spring Grove and Richmond assisted the injured at the scene. All students were checked out at the scene and either taken to hospitals or released.
Police are still investigating the matter, but no citations have been issued.
This is the second bus accident in 24 hours in Spring Grove, Sanders said.
Sanders said one person was injured when a 19-year-old man ran his Lincoln Navigator into a Chevrolet Corvette, bounced off a guard rail and into a minivan, before hitting the Richmond School Transportation District bus that was carrying 41 elementary and high school students on Route 173 Wednesday afternoon.
The accident that took place at 3:45 p.m. left Erik Rangel, of 1621 Brentwood Drive in Round Lake Beach, with several tickets, including driving under the influence of alcohol, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and leaving the scene of an accident.
Sanders said Rangel was eastbound on Route 173 when he hit the Corvette. The two cars skidded into the guard rail, and started off the chain reaction.
None of the students were injured, Sanders said, but the driver of the Corvette was taken to Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry with minor injuries and later released.
"This could have been much worse," Sanders said. "Both accidents could have been much worse."
After the accident, Rangel drove off, but was tailed by an eyewitness into Lake County before that person lost him. However, the witness provided information to police that resulted in Rangel's arrest on Fairfield Road in Round Lake Beach.
Rangel posted bond at McHenry County Jail and has been released pending an Oct. 6 court date. However, Sanders said police and the McHenry County State's Attorney's office are investigating and will be pursuing felony charges against the teen.