17 hurt when dump truck crashes into school buses in Libertyville

LIBERTYVILLE (Sun-Times Media Wire) - Several children taking part in a summer day camp were hurt Thursday when a dump truck crashed into three school buses in the north suburbs.

The three buses were carrying almost 150 children in unincorporated Libertyville when they slowed down for traffic near Route 137 and River Road, Lake County sheriff's office spokesman Chris Covelli said.

The truck, driven by a 44-year-old man from Elgin, was unable to slow down in time and struck the back of the first school bus about 11:45 a.m., Covelli said. That school bus was pushed into the second bus, and that bus was pushed into a third.

The buses were carrying children, ages 5 to 14, from the North Suburban YMCA Summer Camp of Northbrook, Covelli said.

Seventeen campers and counselors were transported to area hospitals with injuries that were not life-threatening, Covelli said. The rest were evaluated by paramedics at the scene. The buses held a total of 144 campers and counselors, Covelli said. The three bus drivers and truck driver were uninjured.

Photos of the scene showed a truck with extensive damage to its hood and front bumper. The rear end of one bus was missing a window pane and had a warped bumper and emergency exit door.

The YMCA staff worked with the bus company to transport all of the children and counselors back to the camp, Covelli said.

Citations are expected to be filed against the truck driver, Covelli said.