Channahon, IL – An accident involving an electric bus led to a complete shutdown of the northbound lanes on the I-55 Des Plaines River Bridge just before 9 AM Tuesday morning.
According to the Channahon Fire Protection District (FPD), the accident was reported at 8:33 AM at mile marker 246. Upon arrival, crews found three school buses involved in a rear-end collision, with a small fire in one bus’s battery compartment quickly extinguished. The electric buses were transporting 103 students and staff.
Twelve students sustained minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals by ambulances from multiple fire protection districts. A reunification area was established at Love’s Travel Center, where students were transported by additional buses. All students were later escorted back to Reed Custer Middle School for reunification with their parents.
Interstate 55’s northbound lanes between Arsenal Road and Bluff Road were affected for approximately three hours. The cause of the accident is under investigation by Illinois State Police Troop #3.
