19 people were hospitalized, including 16 inmates, after they were injured in a crash involving a prisoner transport bus and an SUV in Hainesville Wednesday afternoon.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District and Grayslake-Hainesville Police Department responded around 1 p.m. Wednesday to Route 120 and Hainesville Road in Hainesville for a report of a vehicle crash with injuries.
The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said one of their inmate transport buses was transporting inmates to the McHenry County Jail in Woodstock.
The bus, which was coming from the Lake County Jail, was involved in a crash with a Chevrolet SUV in the intersection.
Grayslake Police Chief Jeff Myhra said the transport bus was traveling westbound on Route 120 when the Chevrolet attempted to make a left turn onto northbound Hainesville Road.
The bus was occupied by two McHenry County correctional officers and 16 Lake County Jail inmates, the sheriff’s office said.
Myhra said all prisoners were accounted for.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the fourth alarm level, bringing ambulances from across Lake and McHenry counties to the scene.
All of the inmates from the bus and the two officers were transported to multiple area hospitals, the sheriff’s office said.
An occupant of the SUV was also transported.
Traffic on Route 120 was impacted for a short period and has since been restored.
The Grayslake-Hainesville Police Department continues investigating the cause of the crash.