Inmates sue McHenry County over jail bus crash in Grayslake

Six inmates who were traveling in a McHenry County Sheriff’s Office bus when it was involved in a crash last year are suing the county, the bus driver and the other driver involved, claiming negligence and carelessness.

The crash occurred about 1:30 p.m. Sept. 4, 2024, when 16 inmates were being taken back to the county jail after court hearings at the Lake County courthouse.

Under an agreement between Lake and McHenry counties, some Lake County inmates are housed at the McHenry County jail and transported from Woodstock to Waukegan for court.

Authorities said a sedan was turning left onto northbound Hainesville Road from eastbound Route 120 in Grayslake when it hit the bus, driven by a county employee, as it was headed west on Route 120.

According to the lawsuit, the driver of the sedan “suddenly and without warning made an improper left turn within the intersection and failed to yield the right-of-way and collided with” the bus. The suit claims that the driver of the bus “carelessly and negligently failed to avoid a collision.”

None of the passengers was wearing a seat belt, and “many if not all sustained injuries,” the lawsuit contends.

The driver of the sedan was issued a citation for making an improper left turn at an intersection and failing to yield to the right-of-way, to which she has since pleaded guilty, authorities have said.

Each of the six men named in the filing are seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages and say the crash has caused them “severe and permanent injuries.”

They claim in the suit that they “will be hindered and prevented from attending to their usual duties and affairs,” and face the loss of wages. They suffer and will continue to suffer “great pain and anguish,” physically and mentally, and have incurred medical costs, according to the suit.

County officials did not comment on the lawsuit.