13 sent to hospital after CTA bus, van collide

September 17, 2007

BY ESTHER J. CEPEDA Staff Reporter ecepeda@suntimes.com

Thirteen people, including a child, were sent to several area hospitals after a crash involving a minivan and a CTA bus Sunday.

CTA spokeswoman Catherine Hosinski said the accident occurred in the 3000 block of West Chicago Avenue when a westbound No. 66 Chicago Avenue bus collided with a Chevy Astrovan heading north on Sacramento Avenue about 4:05 pm.

Fire Department spokesman Joseph Roccasalva said of the 13 people taken to area hospitals, four -- including a child who was taken to Stroger Hospital -- were in critical condition.

There were also three people in serious condition and six others in fair condition, Roccasalva said. He added that most of the seriously injured appeared to be from the van.

Mike Hari was inside Pragma recording studios, near the intersection, when he heard the commotion.

"I was just hanging out with friends when I looked out the front window and saw the entire street blocked off," said Hari, 30. "I never heard a single thing, but when I looked, I noticed the driver [of the minivan], a Hispanic guy about 30 to 35, in handcuffs. The bus had been emptied, and I saw an infant seat upside down on top of the van."

Though traffic in the area was thick with revelers from area Mexican Independence Day festivals, Chicago Police didn't report any obstructions such as oversize flags as contributing factors in the crash.

A third car, an older-model Buick with front-end damage, was seen near the accident site, but neither CTA nor Chicago Police were able to confirm whether it had played a part in the crash.

Officer Tom Pollick of Police News Affairs said investigators had not completed interviewing the victims Sunday evening and the cause of the crash had not been determined. Pollick could not confirm any citations were issued to the driver of the minivan.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/5609 ... 17.article

Trust me on this one, this was a van full of illegal aliens (probably drunk) who attended a Mexican Day parade/celebration in Little Village. It amazes me how they cover up or downplay the truth about illegals and their criminal acts in Chicago newspapers: