Larry Curtis - Port Barre, Louisiana Law Firm

June 06 2007 - Chicago school bus driver had 12 drinks before fatal crash

 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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Larry Curtis, Personal Injury Attorney handles all types of Personal Injury cases including: Automobile Accidents, Maritime Accidents, Spinal Cord Injuries, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Wrongful Death, Insurance Bad Faith, Airplane Accidents, Drunk Driving Injuries, Large Truck Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, School Bus Accidents, Slip and Fall Accidents.

Larry Curtis, Personal Injury Attorney serves the following Louisiana areas: Southern Louisiana, Lafayette, Acadia Parish (Crowley), Allen Parish (Oberlin), Ascension Parish (Donaldsonville), Assumption Parish (Napoleonville), Avoyelles Parish (Marksville), Beauregard Parish (DeRidder), Bienville Parish (Arcadia), Bossier Parish (Benton), Caddo Parish (Shreveport), Calcasieu Parish (Lake Charles), Caldwell Parish (Columbia), Cameron Parish (Cameron), Catahoula Parish (Harrisonburg), Claiborne Parish (Homer), Concordia Parish (Vidalia), DeSoto Parish (Mansfield),East Baton Rouge Parish (Baton Rouge), East Carroll Parish (Lake Providence), East Feliciana Parish (Clinton), Evangeline Parish (Ville Platte), Franklin Parish (Winnsboro), Grant Parish (Colfax), Iberia Parish (New Iberia), Iberville Parish (Plaquemine), Jackson Parish (Jonesboro), Jefferson Parish (Gretna), Jefferson Davis Parish (Jennings), Lafayette Parish (Lafayette), Lafourche Parish (Thibodaux), LaSalle Parish (Jena), Lincoln Parish (Ruston), Livingston Parish (Livingston), Madison Parish (Tallulah), Morehouse Parish (Bastrop), Natchitoches Parish (Natchitoches), Orleans Parish (New Orleans), Ouachita Parish (Monroe), Plaquemines Parish (Pointe a la Hache), Pointe Coupee Parish (New Roads), Rapides Parish (Alexandria), Red River Parish (Coushatta), Richland Parish (Rayville), Sabine Parish (Many), St. Bernard Parish (Chalmette), St. Charles Parish (Hahnville), St. Helena Parish (Greensburg), St. James Parish (Convent), St. John the Baptist Parish (Edgard), St. Landry Parish (Opelousas), St. Martin Parish (St. Martinville), St. Mary Parish (Franklin), St. Tammany Parish (Covington), Tangipahoa Parish (Amite), Tensas Parish (St. Joseph), Terrebonne Parish (Houma), Union Parish (Farmerville), Vermilion Parish (Abbeville), Vernon Parish (Leesville), Washington Parish (Franklinton), Webster Parish (Minden), West Baton Rouge Parish (Port Allen), West Carroll Parish (Oak Grove), West Feliciana Parish (St. Francisville), Winn Parish (Winnfield)

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