St. Charles driver critical after striking NIU Huskie bus in rural Kane County

VIRGIL TOWNSHIP – The driver of a car that crashed into a DeKalb-Northern Illinois University public transit bus Sunday in rural Virgil Township was flown to Loyola Medical Center in Maywood in critical condition, authorities said.

The driver is a 25-year-old St. Charles woman and was the only occupant of a 2021 Hyundai Venue, according to a news release from the Kane County Sheriff’s Office.

The Hyundai struck an NIU Huskie Bus, which is part of the city DeKalb public transit system, which merged with the NIU bus line in 2019. It had just picked up 22 passengers in Elburn on its third of four runs between DeKalb on a regular route for that day, DeKalb Transit Director Michael Neuenkirchen said Monday.

Most were probably NIU students, as the typical ridership on that route comprises of two-thirds to three-fourths students coming back after the weekend, Neuenkirchen said. The Elburn transit route usually brings passengers between downtown DeKalb and the Metra train station in Elburn.

“It’s one of our higher ridership days,” Neuenkirchen said. “Four people were taken to the hospital from the bus, three passengers and one driver. None of them are in the hospital any longer. I am not aware of any major injuries that occurred. It was more for observation and to check out some of the pains reported at the scene.”

[ DeKalb public transit system to see route changes, including more shuttles to Elburn Metra station ]

The crash occurred on Route 38 and Francis Road at 8:39 p.m. Sunday as the bus was traveling west on Route 38, according to the release from the sheriff’s office.

The Hyundai was going north on Francis Road, came to a complete stop and then made a wide right turn onto Route 38, into the oncoming westbound lane in front of the bus, according to the release.

The bus was unable to avoid a collision, leaving the Hyundai with severe front-end damage, according to the release.

The driver of the Hyunda suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was initially taken by paramedics to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva. The woman was then flown to Loyola, according to the sheriff’s office.

The 2017 Gillig bus had front-end damage, which the transit agency mechanics are studying, Neuenkirchen said.

“At first glance, we don’t know if it’s fixable,” Neuenkirchen said. “We have very few accidents. Our drivers are always safety-minded. We’ve had hundreds of thousands of miles put on since 2019, so when this type of thing happens, it’s a big thing. Definitely not the norm.”