Libertyville Party Bus Victim's Family Gets 7-Figure Settlement

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — The family of a 27-year-old Libertyville man who killed in a freak party bus accident in 2017 has settled with a limousine company and the bus driver involved in the incident that resulted in the man being thrown from the bus and onto Interstate 294.

The family and estate of James "Jimmy" Larsen will receive a seven-figure settlement as part of the agreement, which was finalized in December, according to Joseph E. Kolar, partner at the law firm of Romanucci & Blandin.

Larsen was killed on June 3, 2017, when he and 20 friends were on a party bus that the group had rented to travel between Gurnee and Rosemont for a birthday party. According to the law firm, Larsen was standing at the front of the bus adjusting the music for the bus system on the return trip.

The settlement agreement states that due to the bus’s speed and the inexperience of the driver, Larsen fell and hit the passenger side door. The door opened and Larsen fell from the bus and into the expressway. He was struck by a black SUV, which lost a bumper and kept moving after hitting Larsen, police said.

Larsen died from his injuries.

The estate of Larsen along with his mother, Kimberly D. Larsen, the estate administrator sued VIP Charter, Inc., Select Limousine Service Inc., bus driver Basem Askar, Bode North America, Inc., and HCR, Inc., the settlement states.

“This tragedy has changed our family forever, and no settlement will bring Jimmy back,” Kimberly Larsen said in a news release. “He was an aspiring comedy writer and had his whole life ahead of him. He has missed being the best man at his brother’s wedding and the birth of his first niece. We want to spread the word about the lack of safety regulations, both federally and at the state level. No family should ever have to endure a senseless loss due to this kind of negligence.”

Select Limousine was the owner of the bus and primary operator, the law firm said. Larsen’s family alleged that Select did not properly maintain and inspect the passenger door on the bus. The manufacturer of the passenger door, Bode North America, required monthly inspections of the locking and closure mechanism devices on the door.

Select had no knowledge of the requirement and had never inspected or maintained the door, the settlement states. The locking devices were improperly aligned and engaged on the date of the incident, which allowed the door to open.

Askar, the bus driver, did not have a commercial driver’s license and the lawsuit alleged he was unqualified to drive any passenger vehicle, the lawsuit said.

“The tragedy here is that young adults were making the right choice by hiring a party bus company to transport them for a birthday celebration,” Kolar said in a statement. “The industry is not regulated, and many party bus companies are small shops with one or two vehicles that may be run from a home without mechanics or any formal business operations.

“The bus company here was operated out of the owner’s Chicago condo and had no employees inspecting the bus.”