Barrington Hills man dies after Inverness bus collision

A Barrington Hills man who died Thursday afternoon after his SUV struck a school bus head-on apparently crossed into oncoming traffic just before the collision, Inverness police said.

Steven Schmidt, 50, was pronounced dead at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, police said.

The crash occurred at about 3:45 p.m. on Palatine Road east of Highland Road. Police said Schmidt’s Nissan SUV was westbound on Palatine Road and crossed the centerline.

The Palatine Township Elementary District 15 school bus driver, who has been treated and released from St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates, tried to avoid the oncoming vehicle, police said.

The bus was empty and had just completed its route, police said.

Palatine Rural Fire Protection District paramedics spent 24 minutes extricating Schmidt. The school bus driver was able to walk at the scene, Palatine Rural Fire Captain Jeff Dill said.

Inverness police said crash reconstruction workers were called to the scene to assist. The crash remains under investigation.