Bus hits and kills Belleville man crossing street, crashes into county education office
A bus hit and killed a pedestrian at the intersection of South Belt West and Illinois 159 in Belleville before crashing into a St. Clair County building late Saturday afternoon.
County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. reported Monday that Thomas Cobillas, 48, of the 700 block of High Street, was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. Saturday. He had been transported by ambulance to Memorial Hospital Belleville.
The bus was part of the Alternative Transportation System program, according to Belleville Police Department Assistant Chief Mark Heffernan. It’s operated by Southwestern Illinois College through a partnership with St. Clair County Transit District.
The bus driver, who survived the accident, was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon. His condition is unknown.
“He has not been charged at this point,” Heffernan said Monday. “The Belleville Police Department traffic unit responded to the scene, as well as the Belleville police crime scene unit. They are currently investigating the crash.”
Police are withholding the bus driver’s identify until more information is obtained through the investigation.
The 2021 Ford Cutaway bus was traveling east on South Belt West just before 5 p.m. when it hit Cobillas, who was crossing the street, then veered left as if going north on South Illinois Street, which is Illinois 159.
The bus left the street in the vicinity of the BP gas station, flattened a payphone kiosk then ran into the side of the St. Clair County Regional Office of Education building, which was vacant on a Saturday.
“There was no one else on the bus who was conveyed to the hospital,” Heffernan said.
The Alternative Transportation System gives rides to people with disabilities and those age 60 and older, according to its website. SWIC Director of Transportation Robert Wilson couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.
The address of the brick St. Clair County building is 1000 S. Illinois St., although the main entrance and parking lot are on the opposite side, along South High Street. It housed a grocery store before the county bought it.
Officials put plywood over the section where the bus hit. They were still assessing damages on Tuesday.
“There were two offices that were damaged, and we were able to isolate them, and we’re doing structural analysis,” said Jim Brede, director of the St. Clair County Public Building Commission, which manages county buildings.
“(The bus) hit a window area, but it was in between the two offices. Our main concern is the structure on the outside of the wall. We just don’t know how far the damage traveled. Today, they’re going to start cleaning up and getting up into the roof.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated Tuesday morning to include information from a St. Clair County official.
This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 5:57 PM.
