Two paramedics were injured after an ambulance collided with a school bus near Hanson Park in Chicago on Saturday morning. The accident occurred at the intersections of Grand and Central avenues.
According to reports from a local news agency, the paramedics were driving at speed through the intersection as they were responding to an emergency call at the time of the incident. Both of the paramedics sustained minor injuries and were transported to hospital by their colleagues, where they remain in a stable condition. There were no children on board the school bus at the time of the accident, and the bus driver was not injured in the incident.
The school bus sustained minor damage, while the front of the ambulance was seriously damaged. Local authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident.
This is the second accident involving a school bus in the region this week. On Friday, one person was killed and dozens of school children were injured after a school bus was involved in an accident with a jeep. The 34 children on board the bus at the time of the incident as well as the bus driver all survived the accident. However the driver of the Jeep, who has been identified as 62 year old Philip Smith of Beach Park, died in hospital from injuries sustained in the accident.
The collision occurred at approximately 8am at an intersection between Kilbourn Road and Illinois Route 173 in the Wadsworth area, some 45 miles north of Chicago. According to Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran Jr., two passengers in the Jeep as well as the driver were transported by ambulance to local hospitals, where the driver later passed away. 12 children on board the bus were treated in area hospitals for minor injuries, and were later released home to their parents.
The accident scene was a horrific sight for onlookers and first responders, with the mangled wreckage of the jeep in the center of the accident field and debris scattered around the road. The school bus spun and flipped onto its side following the collision.
Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing, as eye witnesses have given conflicting testimonies about the incident. Initial reports claimed that the female bus driver may have run through a red light, however other witnesses have said that this claim is inaccurate and that the Jeep driver was at fault. Local officials have said that the bus driver would undergo drug and alcohol testing.