A St. Charles woman is hospitalized in critical condition after the vehicle she was driving collided head-on with a bus from Northern Illinois University carrying 22 passengers.
At approximately 8:39 pm last night, the Kane County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to the area of Illinois Route 38 at Francis Road in Virgil Township for the report of a two-vehicle crash. Upon arrival, deputies found that a blue 2021 Hyundai Venue had crashed with a 2017 Gillig Bus from Northern Illinois University, called the “NIU Huskie Bus Line.”
The Hyundai was being driven by a 25 year-old woman from Saint Charles. There were no other passengers. The bus was driven by a 66 year-old man from Carpentersville. There were also 22 passengers onboard the Huskie bus.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the collision occured when the woman driving the Hyundai made too wide a turn onto Route 38 eastbound from Francis Road, entering into oncoming westbound traffic. The bus, heading westbound on Route 38, was unable to avoid colliding with the Hyundai, resulting in the crash.
The Hyundai had severe front-end damage. The Huskie bus had minor front-end damage.
The driver of Hyundai suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was transported to Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Illinois. She was later flown by helicopter to Loyola Hospital in Maywood, Illinois, for further care and in critical condition. The bus driver and multiple passengers were transported to local area hospitals for minor injuries.
The crash remains under investigation.