Politics & Government
Women Blame Immigrant Rights Group, Bus Co. & Driver For Joliet Crash: Lawsuit
The women were riding to Springfield for a protest when the bus crashed in Joliet.
Two women claiming they were injured in a bus crash sued an immigrant rights group, a Chicago charter company and a driver.
Sandra Calderon and Alma Morales filed their lawsuit in Will County court.
The two women were heading to Springfield in a school bus for a May 2012 protest, the lawsuit said. The Illinois Coalition For Immigrant and Refugee Rights was "in charge of" the protest, and also responsible for "arranging the transportation for attendees," the suit said.
On the way down to the capital, the bus "collided with a concrete median barrier" near the Route 30 exit in Joliet, the lawsuit said.
The suit accuses bus driver Paul L. Penro of speeding. Penro, 48, was not cited for speeding after the crash. The Illinois State Police did ticket Penro for improper traffic lane usage. He pleaded guilty and was fined $185.
Calderon and Morales claim they were injured in the crash, according to the lawsuit. The suit does not specify the injuries supposedly suffered by the two women but does say they are "severe and disabling" and that they were sustained "both internally and externally."
In addition to Penro and the Illinois Coalition For Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the lawsuit names the bus company Latino Express of Chicago as a defendant.
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