In Freak Party Bus Death, Door Safety Questioned

DEERFIELD, IL — In the aftermath of the death of a Libertyville man who fell out of a party bus on I-294 early Saturday morning, police continue to search for the driver who they say struck the man. The mother of the victim has questioned the safety of the bus' door mechanism, but the owner of the party bus said it was operating properly and was inspected less than a month ago.

27-year-old Jimmy Larsen had walked to the front of the bus to change the radio volume as it traveled about 70 mph on the Tri-State Tollway at 3 a.m. when he tripped and fell down the bus' stairs and into the door, according to police. The door opened, Larsen fell out of the bus on the I-294 northbound at Lake Cook Road in Deerfield and was hit by a black SUV, which lost a bumper from the impact but continued driving.

Larsen was out celebrating the birthday of a former co-worker, his mother Kimberly Larsen told the Chicago Tribune. He was a graduate of the University of Missouri, and he loved his dogs, technology, writing and Dave Matthews Band, she said. She expressed concern that the door her son fell from may not have been functioning properly.

"I don't know how a door on a bus opens when you're in transit," she told the Tribune. "That's not right. It shouldn't happen that way." In an email to reporters, Ms. Larsen said her son was "doing the right thing — not drinking and driving." She said his younger brother has a wedding set for later in the year at which Jimmy was to be the best man.

"We were so proud of him and so saddened that his life was cut short. He had his whole life ahead of him. We loved him so very much. He was truly the love of our family," she wrote.

Gabriel Taturu is the owner of Select Limousine Service in Chicago, which operated the bus involved, a 2012 Freightliner limo. He told the Daily Herald there "was nothing wrong with the bus," which he said passed a safety inspection three weeks ago.

Tataru's lawyer told the paper he didn't know which government entity had conducted the inspection. He said "we don't really know what happened" while the investigation is still ongoing and that "there was nothing my client could have done to foresee something like this happening."

Illinois State Police say the investigation into what one officer described as a "freak accident" is ongoing.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Larsen's death an accident caused by blunt force injuries as a result of being struck by a motor vehicle.

» Related: Libertyville Man Dies After Falling Out of Limo Bus on I-294

Top photo: James J. Larsen