CHICAGO, IL — Two people were hurt, one of them seriously, after a crash involving two cars and a CTA bus on Chicago’s South Side Monday afternoon. Police said the collision happened in the South Shore neighborhood and left a damaged car and a stopped bus at the scene.
Chicago police said the crash unfolded in the 7200 block of South South Shore Drive just after 4 p.m. A Chicago Fire Department spokesperson later confirmed that one patient was taken to the hospital in serious to critical condition, while another was reported in good condition.
How the South Shore crash unfolded at the intersection
According to police, a 27-year-old man was driving a Kia eastbound on East 72nd Street when the vehicle struck a Chrysler traveling north on South South Shore Drive. After the impact, the Chrysler hit the CTA bus.
The collision involved three vehicles in all, with the bus apparently stopped at the time emergency crews arrived. Chopper 7 footage showed two ambulances near the intersection, along with the bus and the damaged car.
Officials did not immediately say whether any passengers were on the bus or how many people were in each vehicle when the crash occurred.
Emergency crews respond as ambulances block the intersection
The scene drew a rapid response from emergency crews in the South Shore area. Two ambulances were seen blocking part of the intersection while responders worked around the vehicles involved in the crash.
Fire Department officials said the more seriously hurt person was hospitalized in serious to critical condition. A second injured person was taken to the hospital in good condition, indicating the injuries were less severe but still serious enough to require medical treatment.
Authorities have not said which of the injured people was in which vehicle, and they have not released names or ages for the patients beyond the 27-year-old driver identified by police.
What police have said about the vehicles involved
Police described the Kia as traveling east on East 72nd Street before the collision. The Chrysler was heading north on South South Shore Drive when it was struck and then pushed into the CTA bus, according to investigators.
The sequence suggests the impact happened at or near the intersection, where streets carrying traffic in different directions meet. Officials have not said whether speed, signaling, or other roadway conditions played a role.
No citations or charges were immediately announced, and authorities have not said whether the drivers remained at the scene or whether any of the vehicles were disabled after the collision.
South Shore intersection remained under investigation Monday evening
By the time crews were on scene, the intersection showed signs of the force of the crash, with one car visibly damaged and the CTA bus stopped nearby. The presence of multiple ambulances suggested the injuries were treated as a priority for responders.
Police did not provide a more detailed account of the sequence of events beyond the initial description of the Kia, Chrysler and bus. They also did not immediately say whether surveillance video, witness statements or vehicle inspections would be part of the investigation.
As of Monday afternoon, officials were still withholding further details, including what caused the crash and whether weather or road conditions played any role.
What remains unknown after the South Side collision
Several basic questions remained unanswered after the crash. Police had not said who was driving the Chrysler or whether anyone aboard the CTA bus was injured.
Officials also had not released an updated condition for the seriously hurt patient beyond the initial hospital report. No timeline was given for when more information might be available.
For now, the available facts point to a multi-vehicle collision at a busy South Shore intersection that sent two people to the hospital and briefly tied up the area as responders worked the scene.