$2.2 Million Settlement Reached for Woman Injured in School Bus Crash

On Aug. 31, 2015, 34-year-old Carrie Scheetz, a teacher, was driving home from work on a county road in Rock Creek Township, Ill., when a school bus approached a four-way intersection at a stop sign. There was no stop sign for traffic traveling in Scheetz’s direction.

Scheetz could see the school bus, which was driven by the defendant, Steven D. Holsted, approaching the intersection, about three-quarters of a mile away. Scheetz and the school bus did not slow down or stop at the intersection.

As Scheetz approached the intersection traveling at approximately 82 mph in a 55-mph zone, the bus was about to cross the intersection when the two vehicles crashed.

Scheetz was trapped in her Jeep Wrangler for 12 minutes as it caught fire before a passerby got out of her vehicle to assist.

Sheetz sustained a fractured femur, broken ribs, and second and third degree burns throughout her body. Remarkably, she returned to work as an art teacher four months later, according to the news release about this horrific crash.

Scheetz sued the bus driver and Nauvoo-Colusa Community School District #325 in Hancock County, Ill., alleging negligence against the defendants. The report of the case indicates that this school district is not the one in which Scheetz is employed.

The lawsuit alleged that the bus driver chose not to keep a proper lookout and did not allow Scheetz to cross the intersection where she had the right of way.

As one might expect, the defendants argued that Scheetz was contributorily negligent because of the high speed in which she approached this intersection.

Experts from both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s side agreed that Scheetz would have been able to stop and prevent a crash had she followed the posted speed limit.

Scheetz was successfully represented by Melanie J. VanOverloop and Stephen P. Rapp of the Law Office Of Stephen P. Rapp, of Quincy, Illinois. Before the start of trial, the parties settled the case.

Carrie A. Scheetz v. Nauvoo-Colusa Community School District #325, et al., 16 LL 1 (Illinois 9^th Judicial Circuit Court).

Kreisman Law Offices has been handling truck accident lawsuits, intersection crash cases, car accident lawsuits, catastrophic injury lawsuits, traumatic brain injury lawsuits and motorcycle accident cases for individuals, families and loved ones who have been injured, harmed or killed by the carelessness or negligence of another for more than 40 years in and around Chicago, Cook County and its surrounding areas, including Bensenville, Elk Grove Village, Park Ridge, Glenview, Northfield, Bannockburn, Half Day, Calumet City, Mettawa, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, North Chicago, Mundelein, Evanston, Orland Park, Harvey, Plainfield, Romeoville, Bolingbrook, Matteson, Naperville, Aurora, Geneva, Carol Stream, Chicago (Roseland, Avalon Park, South Chicago, Greater Grand Crossing, Fuller Park, Bronzeville, Douglas, Chinatown, Near South Side, West Town, Wicker Park, Bucktown, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Irving Park, Belmont Cragin, Portage Park, Pilsen, East Garfield Park), Forest Park, Maywood, Elmhurst, Villa Park, Lombard, Oakbrook Terrace, Western Springs, Brookfield and LaGrange Highlands, Ill.

Robert D. Kreisman has been an active member of the Illinois and Missouri bars since 1976.