14 injured in Oak Park crash involving Pace bus after driver runs red light
Fourteen people were injured in a crash in Oak Park on Friday morning.
According to the Village of Oak Park, around 9 a.m. a driver ran a red light at Lake and Harlem, swerved to avoid a pedestrian who was crossing the street and struck other vehicles, including a Pace bus.
Officials said after the crash, the driver died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said 14 people were injured in the crash. They are being treated at local hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
The intersection of Lake and Harlem was closed for hours but reopened in the afternoon.
Luis Acosta said his cousin was among those injured in the crash. In Spanish, he told CBS News Chicago his cousin was on his way to his construction job at the time of the crash, and was thankful his cousin is expected to be OK.
David Fee saw the aftermath of the crash when the Pace bus came to a stop in front of the business where he works.
"Within the first half an hour, someone came into the store, they had seen the accident occur, they said they heard the SUV strike the bus and then a loud boom occur and he said he thought that was a gunshot and he said he thinks there was a body in the SUV," he said.
A bus passenger spoke to CBS News Chicago off camera, saying people were crying on the bus and screaming out in disbelief at what they saw.
"I feel badly for the people on the bus that got injured today," Fee said. "I know this wasn't what they were thinking when they were going to work and I feel for the driver of the bus. She was very, very distraught."
An investigation is underway. The driver who took their own life has not yet been identified. A spokesperson from the Village of Oak Park said because of the location of the crash, they're still determining what agency will lead the investigation.
