Mother accuses bus companies of failing to assist disabled daughter

A Cook County woman is suing over claims her disabled adult daughter was injured on a bus as a result of the bus company's negligence.

Maria Lagunas, individually and as parent and guardian of Cristina Lagunas, filed a lawsuit Aug. 1 in the Cook County Circuit Court against Cook-Illinois Corp. and Alpha School Bus Company Inc.

According to the complaint, Cristina, who was utilizing leg braces at the time, was on a bus owned by Alpha, a subsidiary of Cook-Illinois, to get from an adult transition program in Oak Lawn to her home in Blue Island on May 23.

Lagunas claims the program had contracted the defendants, which had had procedures to assist individuals off the bus, but the bus driver and aide present on Cristina's bus failed to assist her, leading her to fall and sustain injuries.

She accuses the defendants of failing to assist Cristina or wait until her mother was present to assist.

Lagunas is seeking more than $50,000 in damages and is being represented in the case by attorney Stephen J. Smalling of Capron & Avgerinos P.C. in Chicago.

Cook County Circuit Court Case No. 2014L008083.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it only represents one side of the story.