Joliet West Bus Hit By Minooka Driver On Black Road: JPD

JOLIET — A 35-year-old Minooka motorist named Jacob Wassner was issued several tickets from the Joliet police force on Thursday morning for blowing a red light at the busy intersection of Black Road and Larkin Avenue and crashing into a school bus with 23 Joliet West High School students on board, according to Joliet police spokesman Dwayne English.

Five of the 23 students suffered minor injuries and one was taken to St. Joe's hospital for treatment, according to the police press release.

According to English:

At 9:54 a.m., Joliet police cars responded to North Larkin Avenue at Black Road for a crash with injuries. A Ford Escape driven by Wassner of was going northbound on North Larkin Avenue approaching Black Road.

It is believed that the Minooka man's Ford Escape disobeyed a red light and struck the rear driver's side of a school bus driven by a 70-year-old Joliet man who was turning left on a green arrow onto southbound North Larkin Avenue from westbound Black Road, according to English.

Wassner was also taken Ascension St Joseph Medical Center by the Joliet Fire Department for treatment of a minor injury.

In addition to suffering injuries, Wassner was cited for disobeying a traffic control device, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident and operating an uninsured motor vehicle.