Fox River Grove Litigation Concludes With Final Settlement With School District

Today, in the McHenry County courtroom of Judge James Sullivan, the lawsuits arising out of the October 25, 1995, tragedy were resolved by settlement with the last remaining defendants, Crystal Lake Community Consolidated School District No. 47, McHenry County, Illinois, Crystal Lake Community High School District No. 155, Lake & McHenry Counties. All seven death cases, along with the injury cases have been settled. The total settlement for all cases is in excess of $25 million.

The suit arises out of the tragedy that occurred at 7:11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 1995, at the grade crossing of the Union Pacific railroad tracks and Algonquin Road in Fox River Grove, Illinois. At that time, Metra Train number 624, which was heading in a southeasterly direction, collided with a Crystal Lake Consolidated School Districts 47 and 155 bus driven by Patricia Catencamp. Catencamp was a substitute bus driver on this date. When Catencamp came to the grade crossing, she crossed over the tracks and stopped the bus with three and a half feet of the bus left in the path of the oncoming Metra train.

Managing Partner Robert J. Bingle of Corboy & Demetrio represented the estates of Jeffrey Clark, Joseph Kalte and Stephanie Fulham, along with seven injured passengers on the school bus. Bingle stated:

The settlement of this case will bring some closure after eight years of litigation to the families whose lives have been irreparably and horribly changed. Hopefully, this lawsuit will prevent a similar tragedy from ever occurring again to innocent school children.

Defendants Union Pacific Railroad, Gannett Fleming, Aldridge Electric, Contracting & Material, and the Illinois Department of Transportation contributed toward the settlement of each case.