SCHOOL BUS CRASH
REPORTS 2007
Suit: Bus Driver
Had 12 Drinks Before Fatal Crash
June 5, 2007
(STNG) The school
bus driver who struck an SUV on a South Side street last month,
resulting in the death of a pedestrian, had had 12 drinks within six
hours prior to the crash, a lawsuit filed Tuesday claims.
The lawsuit, filed
by Joann Gipson on behalf of the estate of Antoine Bolden, the man
killed in the accident, alleges bus driver Jerry Moncrease started
drinking at
5 a.m. on May 21. The suit says Moncrease "consumed approximately
six shots of liquor prior to going to work and driving
schoolchildren with special needs on his bus."
He picked up the
children at
6 a.m., and dropped them off at school, the suit says.
Between the time he
dropped the children off at school and 10:55 a.m., when the accident
occurred, the suit claims "Moncrease additionally consumed six cans
of beer."
About 10:55 a.m.,
Bolden, a pedestrian, was at the intersection of Wentworth Avenue
and Garfield Boulevard when the bus, driven by Moncrease, collided
with a Ford Explorer that was headed northbound on Wentworth.
Bolden, according
to the suit, "was struck in turn by the Ford Explorer that had been
struck by the bus driven by Jerry Moncrease, and/or by the bus
itself."
Bolden, who the
suit says had two sons and a daughter -- all minors -- died of his
injuries.
Moncrease was
charged with reckless homicide, aggravated DUI and driving 30 mph
over the speed limit, according to police. He also was cited for
damaging public property and disobeying a red light.
The suit alleges
Moncrease "operated his school bus with a willful or wanton
disregard for the safety of persons or property," drove too fast,
failed to decrease the speed of the bus in order to avoid a
collision, and failed to give an audible warning to pedestrians or
other vehicles with his horn.
The suit also names
Bryden Transportation, which Moncrease worked for, as a defendant.
Bryden allegedly failed to supervise Moncrease, failed to test him
for alcohol and/or drugs "based upon a reasonable suspicion," and
failed to stop him from driving while intoxicated and being a danger
to others.
The suit, filed in
Cook County Circuit Court, seeks unspecified damages. The suit does
not state the relationship between Gipson and Bolden.
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