Bus Accident Lawyer

Thirteen passengers were tragically killed and another 31 were injured when a charter bus operated by USA Holiday was traveling westbound on I-10 in California crashed into a tractor-trailer on Sunday morning.

The crash occurred at 5:17 a.m. in Desert Hot Springs when the bus was carrying 44 passengers who were returning to Los Angeles County from a casino. The bus was traveling so fast that the impact crushed the front third of the bus.

Federal and local authorities are investigating the cause of what looks to be one of deadliest bus crashes in California’s history.  Preliminary reports indicate that the bus rear-ended the tractor-trailer, and was traveling at a significantly higher rate of speed than the 18 wheeler immediately before the crash.

Although the name of the bus driver has not yet been officially released, reports have identified the driver as Elias Vides and have stated that he was one of the 13 who was killed in the crash.

Insurance will Likely Limit the Total Funds Available to Compensate the Bus Accident Victims and their Families

In connection with our independent investigation into the crash, our Bus Accident Lawyers have obtained USA Holiday’s Financial and Insurance Reports from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The filings show that the company may only maintain $5 million in insurance coverage, an amount that would substantially limit the funds available to compensate the families of the 13 passengers who were killed and the 31 or more who were injured during the crash.

As a result, it’s critical that family members of those who were killed and passengers who were injured contact an Experienced Bus Accident Attorney as soon as possible to ensure that their claims are protected.

USA Holiday Charter Bus Crash Hotline: 1-888-854-8989

Having successfully handled more bus accidents than almost any other law firm in the United States, our Bus Accident Attorneys understand how critical it is to obtain evidence from the crash scene as soon after the crash as possible.

As a result, we’ve launched a USA Holiday Crash Hotline, where our team of Bus Accident Lawyers will answer any questions about what we’ve learned about the crash, the passengers’ rights, and what passengers should do to preserve their rights moving forward.

We’ve also assembled a team of independent accident reconstruction and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation experts to begin investigating the crash to determine what went wrong and how it could have been avoided.

We’ve already learned, for example, that USA Holidays has already had their DOT Number and License to operate a commercial bus company revoked once already and that the company likely maintains a maximum of $5 Million in Insurance Coverage.

We will continue to make the results of our investigation available on our website as soon as possible.

Questions about the Crash or What to Do Moving Forward? Call 1-888-854-8989 or Click Here For a Free Consultation with our Bus Accident Attorneys

If you have any questions about what we’ve learned from our investigation so far, your rights as a passenger, or what you should or shouldn’t do moving forward, don’t hesitate to call our Bus Accident Attorneys at 1-888-854-8989 or by sending us an email through our Contact Form.

All of your Calls and Questions will be Answered by Our Experienced Bus Accident Lawyers for Free.  There are no costs or charges involved whatsoever.

Winning Bus Accident Lawyers: Over $75 Million Won for Bus Accident Victims Across the United States in the Past 5 Years Alone

Our Bus Accident Lawyers have won more in settlements and verdicts for bus accident victims in the past 5 years alone than any other law firm in the United States, including the #1 Largest Verdict in Greyhound’s Corporate History on behalf of a passenger who injured her lower back when the bus rolled over.

Earlier this year, for example, our Bus Accident Attorneys successfully negotiated a $6 Million settlement on behalf of several Greyhound passengers who were injured when the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel.

Our law firm was also the first in the United States to successfully obtain a Court Order requiring a Greyhound driver to complete an overnight Polysomnograph test (i.e., a sleep study), which proved that the driver was suffering from Moderate to Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea at the time of the crash and, as a result, should not have been permitted to drive the bus.

Just several years earlier, our Bus Accident Lawyers won $18.8 Million on behalf of a bus passenger who injured her lower back when the bus rolled over while traveling on icy roads.

Call 1-888-854-8989 or Click Here for a Free Consultation with our Winning Bus Accident Lawyers

If you or a loved one were injured or tragically killed in the USA Holiday Bus Accident, it’s important that you start protecting your and your family’s rights as soon after the crash as possible.

Our Bus Accident Lawyers will discuss your rights, help you decide your best options moving forward, and answer any questions you have.

All Consultations are Free and there’s no Commitment involved.

Simply Call 1-888-854-8989 or Click Here to send us a Confidential Email.

On Saturday afternoon at approximately 3 p.m., a charter bus crashed in North Carolina while traveling east on US74, tragically killing 4 passengers, including a 10-year old boy, 2 college students and the bus driver, and injuring 42 others.

The charter bus was transporting Ramah Juco Academy’s football team to Fayetteville for a game against University of God’s Chosen.

Poor Maintenance Likely to Blame for Catastrophic Collision

According to authorities, the charter bus’s front tire blew out, causing it to lose control and crash into a guardrail in front of family members and friends who were following the bus in separate vehicles.

While the official crash report hasn’t been released, our initial investigation indicates that the charter company failed to regularly inspect and properly maintain the bus and its tires, which are much more likely to experience blowouts during summer months.

Were You or a Loved One Injured in the Charter Bus Crash? Contact our Experienced—and Undefeated—Bus Accident Lawyers for a Free Consult at 1-888-854-8989 or by Clicking Here

In the past 5 years alone, our Charter Bus Accident Lawyers have won over $1 Billion on behalf of injured bus passengers across the United States, including the largest verdicts and settlements in Greyhound Bus Lines’ corporate history.

Contact our Experienced Bus Accident Attorneys for a free, no commitment, consultation by clicking here or calling 1-888-854-8989.

Early Tuesday morning, a charter bus accident in Merced, Northern California killed at least 5 passengers and injured roughly 2 dozen more.

While the cause of this deadly crash remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the experienced charter bus accident lawyers at Zehl & Associates understand that the lack of brake marks at the scene likely means that this bus driver was asleep at the wheel when he left the roadway.

Were You a Victim of the Merced Charter Bus Accident?

Our charter bus accident lawyers have recovered over $1 Billion in settlements and verdicts for our clients over the past 7 years with many of those cases involving fatigued bus drivers, including a Greyhound driver that crashed after being allowed to drive after being suspected of having sleep apnea by a DOT medical examiner.

In fact, our bus accident attorneys won the first-ever court-ordered sleep study against a Greyhound bus driver leading the company to offer a record $6 million settlement.

If you or a loved one were injured in this preventable tragedy, do not hesitate to contact us today for a free legal consultation by calling 1-888-603-3636 or by clicking here.

Driver Fatigue and the Merced Bus Crash

The Merced charter bus accident occurred at about 3:35 a.m. when the bus, registered to a company named Autobuses Coordinados USA, Inc. and originating out of Mexico, suddenly swerved into a large sign pole.

That pole cut through the bus, pinning some of the injured passengers in their seats until they could be rescued.

Of the 30 passengers estimated to be onboard the bus at the time of the collision, only 4 escaped without injury, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The bus had been traveling northbound on Highway 99 when the accident took place.

No brake marks were visible, according to authorities, leading many to believe the bus struck the pole at nearly 70 miles per hour.

Stay tuned for updates as they become available.

OGA Laredo Bus Crash Investigation Update 1

As the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and The Texas Department of Public Safety (TXDPS) continue their investigation into the fatal May 14, 2016, Charter Bus Accident on Highway 83 in Webb County, additional information about the crash, the bus driver’s identity, and OGA’s Safety and Maintenance History have been revealed.

The driver, Porfirio Aguirre Vasquez, 29, of Pharr, Texas was released from the hospital yesterday and will be interviewed – along with representatives from OGA Charters – by NTSB Investigators later this week.

According to news reports, one lawsuit has already been filed against OGA Charters in connection with the crash and many more are expected to follow.

Investigation Reveals History of Maintenance Problems with OGA Charter Buses

Because the NTSB’s official investigation will likely take up to one year to complete, the Bus Accident Lawyers at Zehl & Associates have assembled an independent team of Accident Reconstruction and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation experts to investigate the tragic Laredo Bus Crash and determine whether driver fatigue, driver error, and poor bus maintenance were involved.

Our Initial Investigation has revealed that OGA Charters has a long history of Mechanical and Safety violations, including safety violations issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as recent as 2015.

Over the past 18 months, for example, OGA has received 3 separate citations for Hours of Service violations, meaning that drivers were exceeding the maximum number of hours that they’re permitted to drive by federal law.

The HOS violations centered largely on the fact that drivers were not keeping up-to-date “logs” (a record that identifies how many hours a commercial bus or truck driver has been driving and spent “on duty”).  Failing to maintain up-to-date “logs” often suggests that the driver has been driving too many hours — which leads to fatigue.

OGA also has a total “Carrier Safety Measure” score of 1.8, which is strikingly high, considering that 0 is the best possible score.

Even more compelling is the Charter Bus Company’s overall safety score of “53″ — which means that 53% of bus and trucking companies have better Safety records and on-road performance than OGA Charters.

Additional Information that our Bus Accident Attorneys have Learned about OGA Charters:

• Over the last 2 years, OGA Charters has been subject to 5 roadside inspections, forcing both of the company’s two buses to be removed from service
• Because the bus involved in the Laredo accident was manufactured in 1997, it had an outdated Engine Control Module (or “black box), which makes it unlikely that it recorded evidence (like when and how often the brakes were applied prior to the crash) that could be used to help determine whether the driver attempted to slow down or otherwise prevent the bus from leaving the roadway
• Despite the poor weather conditions and heavy rain, the bus appears to have been driving over 75 MPH (the speed limit on Highway 83) when it left the roadway.

We are continuing to work with our experts to discover more about why this tragic crash occurred and will update this website with more information as soon as it becomes available.

If you or a loved one were involved in the OSA Laredo Bus Crash and have questions about our investigation or your would simply like to discuss your rights and options, please call 1-888-854-8989 or send us a confidential email through our “Contact” form by Clicking Here

While the National Transportation Safety Board continues to investigate the cause of the tragic OGA Charters bus crash that killed 8 and injured over 40 other passengers late Saturday morning, our Bus Accident Lawyers have assembled an independent team of experts to begin evaluating whether Bus Driver Fatigue and Bus Maintenance Problems played a role in causing the tragic crash.

We will update our website with all information from the investigation as soon as it becomes available.

About the Texas Bus Accident Lawyers at Zehl & Associates

The Texas Bus Accident Lawyers at Zehl & Associates have won over $1 Billion in Verdicts and Settlements and successfully represented more bus accident victims than any other law firm in Texas, including a recent $6 Million settlement with Greyhound Bus Lines—the largest bus company in the United States.

In April 2016, our Bus Accident Lawyers were featured on CBS National News regarding our efforts in proving bus driver fatigue in connection with a Greyhound rollover crash.  Within 6 months of obtaining a Landmark Sleep Study on the Greyhound driver, our Bus Accident Lawyers were able to settle the case for $6 Million.

If you or a loved one were involved in the OGA Laredo Crash and have questions about our investigation or would simply like to speak to our Bus Accident Attorneys about your rights and options moving forward, call us at 1-888-854-8989 or Click Here to send us a confidential email through our Contact Form.

An OGA Charters bus crash traveling from the Rio Grande Valley tragically killed 8 passengers and injured the remaining 44 while traveling on U.S. 83 to Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino on May 14, 2016.

The rollover occurred just north of Laredo.

The bus company, OGA Charters, which is based out of San Juan in Hidalgo County, has a history of maintenance problems and driver safety violations, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

While the cause of the crash is yet to be determined, the fact that this was a “single vehicle collision” highly suggests that driver error played a role, either because he was driving the bus while fatigued or because the bus was improperly maintained.

Our Bus Accident Lawyers are Currently Investigating the OGA Charters Crash to Determine whether Driver Error, Fatigue or Improper Maintenance Played a Role in Causing the Deadly Rollover.  

Our Bus Accident Lawyers, who have successfully represented more bus accident victims in the past 5 years than any other law firm in Texas, are working with a team of experts to investigate the tragic crash and determine whether driver fatigue or improper maintenance played a role in causing the bus to rollover off the roadway.  

We will update this site with any information we learn as soon as it becomes available.

If you’d like to speak to one of our Bus Accident Lawyers about the investigation, please feel free to contact us at 1-888-854-8989 or by clicking here.

A bus traveling near the small town of Arthur’s Pass in New Zealand’s South Island was involved in an accident on New Year’s Eve after smashing into another vehicle, yielding at least a dozen injuries. The bus, which was transporting 36 tourists on a sightseeing excursion en route to Christchurch from Franz Josef, rolled over onto its side after colliding with a van. The incident took place on State Highway 73 in the Otira Gorge region, about a half-mile from Windy Point.

People driving by stopped to help those trapped on the bus until first responders arrived on scene. Some witnesses were medical professionals such as nurses, which ranger Chris Stewart from the New Zealand Department of Conservation reported saying was “really lucky” for the injured people in need of immediate aid. Stewart also stated that the van sustained severe damage, and that the vehicle had to be pried open with the jaws of life in order to reach those trapped inside. Several injured parties were transported to Christchurch Hospital via helicopter, while others were taken via ambulance to Gray Base Hospital in nearby Greymouth. Three of the people who were hurt in the crash were reported as having sustained potentially life-threatening wounds.

The people traveling in the van were reportedly European tourists doing some sightseeing in New Zealand, while those on board the bus included a New Zealand native driver and tourists from Asia. Although the identities of the injured have not been released to the public, reports state that the ages of the injured parties range from 20s to 50s, and at least two of those hurt in the crash were women. The uninjured passengers were transported to Greymouth by police who were on scene.

The roadway was closed for several hours and detours were put in place as investigators came in to survey the scene. The exact cause of the accident is not yet known, but mechanical malfunction of the bus may have played a role. Drivers were diverted through Lewis Pass until the Arthur’s Pass crash site could be cleared.

A Hartford city bus was involved in a serious crash early in the morning of Friday, November 27, 2015, resulting in at least three injuries. The driver of the bus was seriously hurt in the collision, and two others also sustained injuries. Ambulance drivers who arrived on scene reported that two of the three injuries were very serious, but that all people hurt in the crash are expected to survive after receiving medical treatment.

The bus collided with a car and came to a stop when it hit a tree next to a fence outside of a UPS facility on Locust Street, just west of Interstate 91. The stretch of Locust Street between Wawarme Avenue and Elliot Street East was closed for a time as police investigated the scene and the crash site was cleared away. The exact cause of the crash is not known at this time, but the bus sustained severe front-end damage after crashing into the tree, and the car involved in the crash sustained significant rear-end damage, presumably resulting from the crash.

There has been no word on whether road conditions may have played a role in the crash, nor on whether either vehicle’s drivers may have been under the influence of controlled substances at the time of the accident. The number of passengers on board the bus and number of occupants of the car are also unknown at this time. The bus was owned and operated by Connecticut Transit, and officials from CT Transit have yet to release a statement regarding the incident.

According to data published by the Connecticut Department of Transportation, 640 road accidents in 2008 involved commercial buses (as opposed to school buses), and of those, 119 bus accidents resulted in injury. The small state saw a total of nearly 200,000 crashes on its roads in that same year.

A traffic accident involving a Dallas Area Rapid Transit bus and a pickup truck driver has resulted in a fatality. The incident took place in the predawn hours of Tuesday, November 10, 2015, along southbound Interstate 35, near Inwood Road. The driver of the Dodge truck, now identified as U.S. Army veteran Brenton Smith, was involved in a separate, unrelated crash that resulted in his vehicle becoming disabled in the middle lane of the highway. A witness to this crash pulled over in an attempt to assist Smith when a big-rig truck came close to sideswiping the disabled Dodge, swerving at the last moment. Close behind the big rig was the DART bus, which struck and killed Smith as he stood outside of his truck.

The witness who tried to help Smith, a security officer named Marcus Dennis, stated that he felt the accident may have ended in a different result if the big-rig truck driver had slowed down. Although the DART bus caused the death of Smith, no charges are expected to be filed as a result of the crash, as investigators have ruled it an accident. The driver of the DART bus is being tested for drugs and alcohol, as is the standard following a traffic accident, but is not expected to face any charges or other disciplinary measures related to the crash. Officials from DART have stated that the driver of the bus has been driving for them for 25 years without any major incidents. No passengers were aboard the bus at the time of the crash.

Brenton Smith had been a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, and was 24 years old at the time of his death. He resided in Denton County with his wife. Marcus Dennis expressed that he felt it was particularly sad that the young staff sergeant died the day before the Veterans Day holiday.

A school bus transporting students to East Central High School and Heritage Middle School was involved in a collision with an automobile being driven by a teenager early in the morning of Tuesday, November 3, 2015. The teen driver, whose identity has not been released to the public, then smashed into a Honda, killing its 47-year-old driver and causing a multiple-vehicle pileup north of Highway 87, on the roadway of Loop 1604.

The teen who caused the accident is reported to be in critical condition and receiving treatment at San Antonio Military Medical Center. There is no word yet as to whether or not he is expected to make a full recovery. Surprisingly, no other injuries have been reported as a result of the crash, in spite of the many people involved in the collision and its fatal outcome for one man who has yet to be publicly identified.

The weather may have played a large role in the accident, as the roads in the area were obscured by a dense fog the morning that the accident took place. It is not yet known whether the young driver who appears to have caused the massive collision was speeding or under the influence of controlled substances at the time of the crash. At least two trucks were also involved in the pile-up, but neither driver nor passengers reported being hurt as a result of the collision.

According to statistics made available by the Texas Department of Transportation, state roadways were host to more than 3,500 fatalities in the 2014 calendar year. This is the highest number of fatalities due to traffic accidents the state has reported since 2005. The same report alleges that fatality crashes in 2014 are estimated to have cost nearly 29 million dollars in terms of economic loss, as calculated using data from the National Safety Council’s “average economic cost per death.”