Bus Accident Lawyer

According to officials at the Howard County General Hospital in Columbia, Maryland, all nine people who were involved in a three vehicle crash on Wednesday June 5, 2013 have been released.

A school bus with 55 students aboard was traveling to Centennial Lane Elementary School on Wednesday, June 5 when the accident occurred. The crash sent four adults and five children to the hospital including two six-year-old girls, a seven-year-old boy, a nine-year-old girl and a ten-year-old girl. None of the injuries were life threatening.

Statistics show that there are over 450,000 school students using school buses to commute back and forth to school on a daily basis. Most parents give little thought to the possibility of their children being injured or killed in an accident while riding the school bus. This accident happened around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning near the intersection of Centennial Lane and Breconshire Road, less than a half-mile from the school.

Police officials told the media, “The bus was traveling south on Centennial Lane when it collided with a van, which then collided with a car. The driver and two adult passengers from the van, as well as the driver and five children from the school bus were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.” The driver of the car involved was not injured.

Samuel Stokes Jr., age 63, of Baltimore was driving the school bus. Stokes has been cited for failure to control speed to avoid a collision and also negligent driving. The police believe that Stokes may have turned his head to address a student when the collision occurred.

In an email to parents, Centennial Lane Elementary School Principal Brad Herling wrote, “ The accident was not serious, but police and fire department personnel were called to the scene. Children were asked if they were hurt when the accident occurred, and several children reported bumps and bruises.”

The children with injuries were transported to the hospital, and their parents were immediately contacted. The other children on the bus walked to school with the supervision of school staff and parent volunteers.

Since 1990, over 1,400 fatalities were caused by school bus accidents and nearly 17,000 children have suffered from injuries caused by school bus accidents. Most of those injuries were so severe that those involved ended up in the emergency room.

In Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, a bus burst into flames after being overturned last Friday, killing 6 Mexican tourists and leaving 25 people injured. The accident occurred on a route between Martyr Ahmed Hamdi tunnel and the Saint Catherine’s Monastery, a religious vacation tourist spot. 12 ambulances were sent to attend to the tourists’ casualties. They have been brought to Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital for their initial medical treatment.

The accident occurred due to high-speed driving as reported by a security official, who requested anonymity due to the fact that he was not authorized to talk to the media. Furthermore, the ill-maintained roads and negligent enforcement of traffic laws added to the risk of the bus accident happening.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry reported that Mexican officials have already communicated with the country’s authorities regarding the accident. María Carmen Oñate Muñoz, the Mexican Ambassador in Egypt, has contacted the local authorities to find out the details of the accident.

The Ministry on Foreign Affairs, on the other hand, expressed their deepest sympathy and grief. They stated that they will provide assistance in bringing the bodies back to Mexico. José Antonio Meade, the head of the Ministry, has already been working on identifying the Mexicans who were involved in the accident.

Khaled Abou Hashem, South Sinai government’s head for emergency services, further added that the bus’s next destination was Dahab’s Red Sea Resort.

Meanwhile in India, a gas tanker collided with a luxury bus last Thursday, leaving at least 14 people dead and at least 36 others injured. The accident took place around 7 in the morning on Medvan Khind on Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, near Dahanu in Thane district. Among those who were killed were two children, six women, and eight men, which included the tanker driver Ram Yadav and the bus driver who has not yet been identified. The bodies were brought to Kasa Hospital. Meanwhile, the 36 injured people, which included 27 women, six girls and eight boys were brought to three hospitals for medical treatment. Those hospitals were Sion Hospital, Thane Civil Hospital and Bhagwati Hospital in Malad, Mumbai.

Bharat Chowdhary, Kasa police station’s assistant inspector, reported that the tanker lost control while coming around a curve. The tanker then crossed the road divider and hit the bus, which was coming from Mumbai, the opposite direction. The impact was so powerful that the side of the bus was torn off.

Since the tanker was not overloaded, it was not clear whether the accident happened due to a mechanical or human failure. Because of this, the Regional Transport Office inspection will be the deciding factor about the main cause of the accident.

A school bus accident occurred close to Wadsworth on April 5, 2013, resulting to the injury of 28 children and the death of the driver of another vehicle, Philip Smith. The accident happened at the intersection of Kilbourne Road and Route 173, approximately one mile from Newport Elementary School.

Investigators are currently trying to determine who was to blame for the bus crash, which caused the large vehicle to topple over. According to inspectors, the bus collided with a Jeep Wrangler then toppled over, hitting a Jeep Cherokee. The school bus was going west on Route 173 at Kilbourne. Smith was the driver of the Wrangler. The Cherokee had a couple of adults who were also injured.

Lee Bass, 10 years old, survived. The deceased Smith was a businessman who loved flying and came from Beach Park. Smith is survived by his wife, a granddaughter and two daughters. 34 children in all were brought to triage and were given green and yellow cards. Yellow cards were given for minor injuries while green cards were provided to those who had no injury and were free to go. Red cards were handed out to those who were seriously hurt.

According to Sheriff Sgt. Sarah Ballmos, they are still not sure who or what was the main cause of the bus accident. Bass shared how happy they were that he was given a green card. The majority of the kids were allowed to go home afterwards.

On the afternoon of May 28, 2013 in Delaware County, a car slammed into the rear of a school bus. The accident occurred past 3:00 p.m. near Chelsea Parkway and Route 322 in Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania, resulting in the death of the driver of the car, Brian Brlanski. Brlanski was 20 years old from Avondale, Pennsylvania. According to investigators, the driver was instantly killed due to the impact of the crash.

Brlanski was the only one hurt from the bus accident. The bus only carried one student, plus the bus driver and a bus aide who both walked away unscathed. Route 322 was closed during investigations but was reopened at around 8:30 p.m.

In India, a bus going from Farukkhabad to New Delhi fell into a canal on May 26, 2013. Investigators fear that more than dozen people may have died as a result. The bus accident happened about 265 km from Lucknow. 22 passengers were found alive while 8 dead bodies have been taken out of the Hazara canal. The senior official stated that the bus was full of passengers and that there were about 58 in all.

Burlington, New Jersey, stood witness to a school bus collision involving a car that caused seven elementary students and one adult to be injured on Tuesday morning, May 15, 2013.

This picture from the accident, courtesy of courierpostonline.com, shows that the front part of the white Toyota Camry was crushed badly while the right part of the bus remained fairly intact. 

According to police, the accident took place around 8:15 a.m. when a school bus moving kids from the Fountain Woods Elementary School ran into a Toyota Camry at the intersection of Salem Drive and Cynwyd Drive. Philly.com recounts that the bus was trying to turn left onto Salem Drive from Cynwyd Drive while the car was making its way to the north of Salem Drive. The police mentioned that the intersection was not thought to be a dangerous area and that there is a stop sign at Cynwyd Drive. No charges were filed on Tuesday morning.

The seven students with minor injuries were brought to Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington and Virtua Memorial for treatment. The adult, who was confirmed to be the man driving the car, needed to be hospitalized at Lourdes Specialty Hospital for his serious injuries. His name has not yet been released by the police.

Burlington Township Superintendent Christopher Manno said that eight of the fifteen students who were riding in the bus didn’t suffer any injuries. All were taken back to their elementary school to be checked by the school nurse before being released to their parents. The students were from grades three through five.

The school district alerted all of the parents via email and also assigned administration staff to the scene of the accident and hospitals.

Officials from the school gave a statement regarding the issue of safety belts in the bus. They said that school regulations always dictate that students wear seat belts whenever they are in the bus. However, they didn’t know if all of the students had obeyed the rule at the time of the accident.

The cause of the collision is yet unknown. The school district is investigating this event together with the Burlington Township Police Department. Police Director Kevin A. Shoppas said that new information regarding the accident will be released later in the afternoon.

There have been approximately ten school bus crashes reported in May alone in the U.S., and May 15 marks the highest number of school-bus-related accidents in the month so far – with three crashes in New Jersey, New Orleans, and Florida.

A 23 year old man from River Falls was killed on Saturday night in a tragic party bus accident in the village of Ellsworth, after he fell from the open rear door of the moving bus.

The bus was coming in to Ellworth village on Highway 10 late on Saturday night when the man, who has been identified as Joel K. Velure, fell to his death from the rear emergency exit door of the party bus on which he was travelling. The bus was operated by the Kilimanjaro Taxi and Bus Service, based in Hudson.  

According to local police authorities, emergency responders were rapidly on the scene of the accident after being called by fellow party goers on the bus. However first responders were unsuccessful at resuscitating Velure, who died on the scene before he was able to be airlifted to hospital.

The Ellsowrth Police Department is currently investigating the accident, and will be questioning other passengers on board the bus as well as the bus driver about the circumstances surrounding the incident. The Ellsworth Police Department will be assisted in the investigation by the Wisconsion State Patrol.

According to senior Ellsworth police officer Darren Foss, the party bus was impounded following the accident and will be used as evidence in the investigation. There were no further details released to the media about the number of passengers on board the bus and where the bus was travelling to, and it is not yet clear whether an autopsy will be conducted on Velure’s body.

The bus involved on the accident appears in a photograph on the website of Kilimanjaro Taxi Services, and appears to be an old school bus that was converted and repainted silver to become a ‘party bus’. The bus is hired out by private groups to transport passengers to wedding venues, private events and pub crawls.

The Kilimanjaro website describes the party bus as a cost effective means of transporting guests and friends for a night out, and also speaks of the safety of hiring a bus and bus driver rather than letting guests drive drunk.

US Transport records show that the bus involved in the accident was owned by an Elijah Omwena, and was being leased to the Kilimanjaro bus company. It is not clear whether there were any problems with the bus on inspection following the incident, or why the emergency exit door was open at the time.

A woman has been killed in a tragic accident at the Fort Lauderdale Holly International Airport after she was struck by a charter bus, said local authorities. According to police, the woman tripped and fell into the path of the bus while she was getting into her vehicle at the airport.

The accident scene was blocked off by yellow police tape, closing all four lanes of incoming traffic at Terminal 4 of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Saturday afternoon.

According to eye witness reports, the woman went to meet a passenger that was arriving from the airport. As she was returning back to her vehicle with the passenger, she tripped and fell into the road, directly in the path of an oncoming charter bus. There were 12 passengers on board the bus at the time, en route from the airport to Miami where the passengers were due to be taking a cruise. None of the people on board the bus were injured in the accident. It was later discovered that the passenger was the victim’s husband, who was returning home from a business trip. 

The woman was in a Ford SUV that was parked in an active traffic lane close to the terminal. Emergency responders took just minutes to arrive on the scene, however the woman was declared dead. The accident is being investigated by the Broward Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit, although no foul play is suspected. There were two other people in the Ford SUV, who witnessed the horrific accident.

Shocked airport staff had to deal with the aftermath of the accident, with passengers complaining about the traffic blocks caused by the closing off of the accident scene. The lanes were reopened at 6.30 pm, once officials had gathered evidence from the scene and the body of the victim was cleared.

The victim has been identified by police as 68 year old Cheryl A. Bazilius of Ft. Pierce. The incident is still under investigation by officials, and it is not yet clear whether any charges will be made.

In other bus accident news this week, 11 people were injured on Saturday in Brunswick, Virginia after a bus carrying 40 church members from Baltimore to Chester, South Carolina ran off the road. According to the bus driver, an animal ran into the road causing the driver to swerve to avoid hitting him, with the bus ending up in a ditch. None of the passengers were seriously injured.

At least eight people have been killed after the passenger bus in which they were travelling plunged off the road and down a gorge in a northern region of Mexico, said local authorities.

The tragic accident occurred at 4.25am on Sunday morning in the north-central state of San Luis Potosi, on the Mexico – Laredo federal highway, near the city of Ciudad Valles. Although the cause of the accident is not yet clear, reports from eye witnesses suggest that the driver apparently lost control of the bus while taking a turn, and plunged off the road, 30 meters down a gorge.

Local authorities have confirmed that at least eight people have died, and that the death toll may still rise further as more bodies are recovered from the accident scene. The victims have not yet been officially identified, but there are three men and five women amongst the dead. It is not yet clear how many people were on board the bus at the time of the incident, or how many people have been injured. Emergency responders treated the injured at the site of the accident and then transferred them to the nearby General Hospital of Ciudad Valles, where some passengers remain in a critical condition.

According to authorities, the bus, which was operated by the Transportes Frontera bus company, was was en route to Huejutla, Hidalgo from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon at the time of the accident. The driver was allegedly attempting to change the music on the bus when he lost control of the bus in the Mante Lagoon area. The bus driver survived the accident, and will be questioned by police once he recovers from his injuries.

In other bus accident news this week, at least 15 employees of a garment factory were injured in Bangalore, India after their mini bus crashed into a road divider near Chanapura gate on Saturday evening. The accident occurred at approximately 5.45 pm, when the workers were travelling home in the staff transport minibus. It is not clear what the cause of the accident was.

The bus hit into the divider and fell over onto its side on the busy Hosur Road, causing traffic to come to a standstill for several hours. Local police diverted traffic to alternative routes and the bus was lifted from the scene of the accident by a crane. The bus driver fled the scene following the accident, and police are conducting a man hunt for the man.   

A teenager from Fort Lauderdale, Florida is in critical condition in hospital after he was dragged and run over by a county bus on his way to school.

The 14 year old student was  attempting to catch a Broward County transit bus in order to get to school on time when he was run over by the bus, said a spokesperson from the Broward Sheriff’s Office.

According to Broward County deputies, the middle school student was running to catch the bus as it was pulling out from the station at 1199 E. Sample Rd and approximately 9am on Friday morning. Brian Clark was sitting on board the bus, on the front seat. Clark became emotional as he described seeing the student put his arm into the open doorway of the bus. The doors then closed on his arm, as the bus driver started to pull off from the station. ‘The next thing I see is the child drop and felt the thump.’

The student was dragged for some meters with his arm stuck inside the bus door before wrenching his arm out and dropping to the ground, where the bus then ran over him. Clark immediately called 911 and ambulances arrived in a matter of minutes. The student was transported by emergency responders from the Pompano Beach Fire Rescue to the Chris Evert Children’s Hospital after paramedics struggled to stabilize him on the scene for more than 40 minutes. He is currently in a critical condition in the intensive care unit at the children’s hospital. 

According to Clark’s testimony, he and other passengers on board the bus attempted to tell the bus driver to stop when they saw the boy trying to board the bus. ‘Everybody on the bus (was) screaming ‘Stop’ and he just ignored us’, Clark said about the bus driver, who continued to drive despite the screaming passengers.

A surveillance camera captured the seconds before the accident. The boy was running towards the bus, with footage then showing his mother running behind him as the accident unfolded in front of her eyes. “His mother saw everything,” said Clark.

The road was closed for an hour while the county bus was removed from the scene of the accident.

The bus driver, who has been identified as Reinaldo Soto, has been placed on administrative leave while deputies from the Broward Sheriff’s Office are conducting a thorough investigation into the incident.  

Two paramedics were injured after an ambulance collided with a school bus near Hanson Park in Chicago on Saturday morning. The accident occurred at the intersections of Grand and Central avenues.

According to reports from a local news agency, the paramedics were driving at speed through the intersection as they were responding to an emergency call at the time of the incident. Both of the paramedics sustained minor injuries and were transported to hospital by their colleagues, where they remain in a stable condition. There were no children on board the school bus at the time of the accident, and the bus driver was not injured in the incident.

The school bus sustained minor damage, while the front of the ambulance was seriously damaged. Local authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident.

This is the second accident involving a school bus in the region this week. On Friday, one person was killed and dozens of school children were injured after a school bus was involved in an accident with a jeep. The 34 children on board the bus at the time of the incident as well as the bus driver all survived the accident. However the driver of the Jeep, who has been identified as 62 year old Philip Smith of Beach Park, died in hospital from injuries sustained in the accident.

The collision occurred at approximately 8am at an intersection between Kilbourn Road and Illinois Route 173 in the Wadsworth area, some 45 miles north of Chicago. According to Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran Jr., two passengers in the Jeep as well as the driver were transported by ambulance to local hospitals, where the driver later passed away. 12 children on board the bus were treated in area hospitals for minor injuries, and were later released home to their parents.

The accident scene was a horrific sight for onlookers and first responders, with the mangled wreckage of the jeep in the center of the accident field and debris scattered around the road. The school bus spun and flipped onto its side following the collision. 

Investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing, as eye witnesses have given conflicting testimonies about the incident. Initial reports claimed that the female bus driver may have run through a red light, however other witnesses have said that this claim is inaccurate and that the Jeep driver was at fault. Local officials have said that the bus driver would undergo drug and alcohol testing. 

Survivors of the worst drunk driving accident in the history of the United States will relive the horrific fiery bus accident on May 14^th, the 25^th anniversary of the Carroll County bus accident, when a documentary about the accident is released in an Elizabethtown movie theatre.

The documentary, called Impact: After the Crash, contains re-enactments of the tragic accident, which left 27 of the 67 people on board dead on May 14^th, 1988. The 80 minute film has been made in order to honor the lives of those who died and those who survived, and to remind the country of the importance of not drinking and driving.

The film has been directed by a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Jason Epperson, who currently resides in Clark County. Epperson reminded the press that today, 25 years after this tragedy, 27 people are killed each day across the country as a result of drunk driving.

Harold Dennis, one of the survivors of the accident, has been working with Epperson to ensure that the film remains true to the facts of the accident. At 11pm on the night of May 14^th, a bus carrying 67 members of the Radcliff Assembly of God  was travelling along the Interstate 71 in Carroll County, when a drunk factory worker, Larry Mahoney, veered into the path of the bus in his pickup truck. Mahoney had been drinking all day when he veered into oncoming traffic on the southbound lane of the interstate and collided with the bus, causing the bus’s 60 gallon fuel tank to explode.

27 people were killed in the collision, with dozens more passengers, including Dennis, sustaining serious injuries and disfiguring burns. Dennis was 14 years old at the time, and lost his childhood best friend in the inferno.

37 year old Epperson runs the Lexington-based film company Eppic Films, and has received critical acclaim from the film industry for his previous directing work. He was chosen by legendary director Steven Spielberg to participate in a reality show known as On the Lot  in 2007, which was aimed at discovering talented new directors.

Impact is the second documentary that Epperson has directed, after Envisioning Home, a film about housing difficulties in St Louis. Impact draws mostly on interviews with survivors of the accident and family members of those who died, as well as the law enforcement officers and first responders who were present at the accident scene.