Bus Accident Lawyer

Conflicting reports from eye witnesses and two traffic officers have led to confusion in a court course investigating a recent hit and run bus accident involving a bus operated by Haryana roadways in India.

The accident occurred on January 30, 2012 when a the bus, which was allegedly speeding, hit into a motorbike and a pillion and killed the pillion rider, 62 year old Ram Kumar Arora, a resident of Zirakpur. The accident occurred at the busy Majri round about in the afternoon, in full view of many witnesses.

The bus driver, who has been identified by authorities as Khem Chand, continued driving after the accident and is thought to have fled to the city of Naraingarh to escape arrest. The pillion rider was rushed to a trauma center at a nearby hospital, but was declared brain dead on arrival. He had sustained severe head injuries.

A warrant for the arrest of the absconded driver was issued by authorities, for the charges of culpable homicide and negligent driving, on January 31st after witnesses report that the driver was speeding and driving dangerously at the time of the accident. However, the investigation has come to a standstill after two members of the traffic police, Dhani Ram and Kashmiri Lal, have come forward with evidence that supports the bus driver.

Lal and Ram were directing traffic at the Majri roundabout at the time of the accident. Their reports claim that Arora and the motorbike rider were attempting to overtake the bus when the driver of the motorbike fell, causing the accident. The two traffic officers have submitted written statements under oath regarding the incident, and are expected to testify in the upcoming trail against Chand.

The motorbike rider was later identified as Arora’s nephew, Sadhir Arora. He made a statement saying that the bus collided with him before he fell, which corroborates the evidence found in the initial investigation into the accident which showed paint from the Haryana roadways bus on the left side of the motorbike, suggesting that the bus hit into the two wheeler.

Chand has since turned himself in to a local police station and is being held in custody until a date is set for his trial. Relatives of Chand have met with the senior police officers investigating the case asking that the authorities relook at the evidence, providing copies of written statements by the two traffic officers defending the driver.

South African President Jacob Zuma has attended the memorial service for the victims of the tragic March 15 bus accident in Hex River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. 24 people were killed in the accident, making one of South Africa’s most deadly traffic accidents.

The bus was transporting members of the 12 Apostles Church in Christ from a prayer meeting in Secunda in the northern Mpumalanga province back to their homes in Cape Town when the bus’s brakes failed as it was coming down the steep and winding Hex River valley pass. The bus driver struggled to maintain control of the bus and eventually veered off the road and into the rocky mountainside alongside the pass.

President Zuma conveyed his condolences to the family members of the victims and the survivors of the accident at the memorial service, stating that the entire South African government shares their grief. In his address to the attendees at the funeral, he paid his condolences on behalf of the people of South Africa and the government, to both the family members of those who had died as well as the congregation of the 12 Apostles Church in Christ.

South Africa’s roads are notoriously treacherous, with thousands of people being killed in road traffic accidents each year. Zuma acknowledged that drastic action needs to be taken to address the problem. He cautioned both motorists and pedestrians to be sure to heed traffic rules and regulations, and for public transport companies to ensure that their vehicles are well maintained and are safe to be carrying passengers.

Zuma added that there is a need for traffic officers to tighten down on road law enforcement, and that more tickets and fines should be issued to motorists that do not obey the rules of the road.

A thorough investigation into the accident is still underway, said a spokesperson from the Western Cape Transport Ministry. The results of the investigation may only be released in several weeks. Although the initial evidence points to brake failure as the cause of the accident, Transport Ministry spokesperson Siphesihle Dube said that investigators will also be assessing the safety record of the driver, who was one of the 24 people killed in the accident, and the roadworthiness of the bus. Investigations will also be conducted into the operations of the company that owned the bus.

The bus that was involved in a horror accident in South Africa’s Western Cape province earlier this week that left 24 people dead had multiple problems with certifications of roadworthiness, according to the results of a preliminary investigation.

The Western Cape MEC for Transport, Robin Carlisle, told reporters from the Cape Argus newspaper that a preliminary investigation into the bus that was involved in the accident showed that the bus’s certificate of roadworthiness had not been renewed, as was required by law. In addition, the operating license for the bus was apparently issued on December 25th, Christmas Day, on which the provincial licensing authority’s office would have been closed.

This anomaly requires further investigation, says Carlisle. Finally, Carlisle also announced that the previous roadworthy certificate, that was expired at the time of the accident, had been issues by a testing station that has since been closed for fraud. The bus was therefore not roadworthy at the time of the accident.

24 people were killed in the horrific accident, one of the worst traffic accidents in South African history. The double decker bus smashed into a rocky hill side in the Hex River Valley in the Western Cape province of South Africa on Friday morning near De Doorns, some 200 kilometres outside of Cape Town. It appears that the brakes of the bus failed, causing the driver to lose control while traversing a steep and winding mountain pass. Two of the fatalities in the accident were children. The bus driver was also killed in the incident.

The family members of the deceased are expected to identify the bodies today. Autopsies on the bodies are currently being carried out at the Salt River Forensic Mortuary in Cape Town.

In addition to the fatalities, eight passengers were critically injured, 14 were seriously injured and 44 sustained minor injuries, said the Western Cape provincial health department spokesperson, Faiza Steyn.

The bus was operated by charter bus company Atlantic Charters and Tours. Lawyers for the company have responded to media requests for a statement, saying that the company will not comment until after the investigation into the accident is complete and the findings have been released.

Atlantic Charters and Tours attorney, Shahied Schreuder, did however state that this accident was the first major accident for the bus company in its 20 years of operations in South Africa. He also stated that the driver was highly experienced and had an excellent safety record with the company.

24 people have been killed and 8 critically injured in a horror bus accident in the Hex River Valley near De Doorns, in the Western Cape province of South Africa.

It appears that the brakes of the double decker Atlantic City bus failed, with the bus careening down the Hex River valley road with the driver struggling to maintain control on the hair pin bends. With two more bends to negotiate before the end of the pass, the bus driver finally lost control and the bus crashed into the rocky mountain side lining the road.

The accident occurred at approximately 9am on Friday morning, with the bus en route from the town of Beaufort West to Cape Town. According to Kenny Africa, the chief of the traffic department in the Western Cape, it appears that the bus’s brakes failed, as the bus driver drove on to the arrestor bed on the pass, designed to slow down heavy vehicles in the event of brake problems. However, the arrestor bed did not stop the bus in time and the driver was forced to continue down the treacherous pass.

The bus was carrying several members of the Twelve Apostles Church in Christ, on their way back from a national women’s prayer meeting in Secunda, said the provincial leader of the church, Dumisani Ximbi.

Other members of the church who had been travelling behind the double decker bus in smaller vehicles, could be seen standing at the accident site dressed in their distinctive church uniform of blue skirts and white headscarves. The survivors of the accident huddled together and made use of blankets and food provided by the church members. A leader of the church gathered together bystanders and survivors and led them in prayer, while rescue workers struggled to treat the injured and free those that were still trapped in the wreckage. The accident scene was a horrific site to see, with bodies being laid out on the road, covered in sheets, and passengers’ belongings scattered across the pass.

As of Friday evening, 24 people had been pronounced dead, making this accident one of the worst traffic accidents in South African history. The bus driver was one of those confirmed dead. A further eight passengers were critically injured, with 14 sustaining serious injuries and a further 44 sustaining minor, non-life threatening injuries. Two of the deceased were children.

A man hailing from Brooklyn, New York City, has been killed after he rear ended a stationary MTA bus, said local police officials.

The man, who has been idenitified as 23 year old Luis Duran of Cypress Hills, was crushed to death in the accident, which occurred just half a mile from his home in Cypress Hills. It appears that Duran smashed into the MTA bus, which was stopped at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and Euclid Avenue at approximately 4.30 am when Duran smashed into the back of the bus. Duran’s black 2003 Honda Accord then spun into a nearby BP gas station before coming to a stop.

Duran was crushed to death inside the wreckage of the car. He was pronounced dead on the scene by emergency responders who were rapidly deployed to the scene after a phone call from the owner of the BP Station, who wished to only be identified as David. According to the station owner, it did not appear that Duran had made any attempt to avoid hitting the bus, and there was no evidence that he had put on brakes before the collision. “There’s no skid marks. He never saw it coming,” said the station owner.

Local police investigators are currently attempting to determine the cause of the accident. It is not yet clear why Duran did not make an attempt to slow down before hitting the bus. Shocked bystanders crowded the scene as first responders and the police removed Duran’s body from the demolished vehicle and covered it with a sheet.

An onlooker, 39 year old Jose Pichardon who owns a shop close to the scene of the accident, said that he had never seen anything as shocking. Another witness, 34 year old Michelle Harvey, said “It’s horrifying. I don’t even want to look at it.”

Duran was a second generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic. He was working as a baggage cart driver for American Airlines and was working on completing his GED. According to family members, his dream was to one day become an airplane mechanic.

“He was a sweet guy. He was just 23,” said Duran’s devastated mother, 49 year old Maricela Duran, who was clearly devastated. She sobbed on her daughter’s shoulder as police travelled to her home to break the news to her. “He was a good person. He was planning to go back to school,” she said.

At least 14 people have been killed and a further 38 people were injured after a loaded passenger bus veered off the side of a cliff in a region of southern Peru, said members of the Peru National Highway Police on Sunday.

According to the official police reports, the accident occurred late on Saturday evening, just before midnight. The bus was en route from the capital of the southern state of Arequipa, also called Arequipa, towards the town of Camana. Approximately 100 kilometers outside of Camana, the bus driver appeared to lose control of the vehicle. The bus plunged off the side of the South Pan-American Highway and down a 200 meter high cliff, where it rolled multiple times before coming to rest.

Although a thorough investigation into the causes of the accident is still ongoing, authorities say that preliminary investigations indicate that dense fog that covered the mountainous road that evening is likely to have played a role in causing the accident. Poor visibility also may have played a role.

Police have revealed that the bus was operated by the Lucerito transport company, a Peru based bus company.

First responders arrived on the scene approximately an hour after the accident occurred, and had difficulty reaching the wreckage of the bus which was precariously perched in the 200 meter deep abyss. Rescue workers worked for hours to extract the bodies of the deceased and free the injured survivors from the wreckage. The injured were transported via ambulance to the emergency center at a hospital in Camana, with a number of the more seriously injured passengers transported to a tertiary level hospital in the regional capital of Arequipa, according to local media reports.

Members of the police and staff from the Public Ministry have visited the accident scene to assist first responders in rescuing the injured and removing the bodies of the dead. The bodies that were recovered have been transported to a morgue in the region to be identified by next of kin.

The Arequipa region has been experiencing heavy downpours of rain over the last few weeks, that have caused flooding and structural damage to roads and other important parts of the local infrastructure.

The management of Lucerito transport company have not responded to calls from the media with regard to the accident, but are expected to make a statement later in the week. There is no evidence that the bus driver was driving recklessly at the time of the accident.

Four people have been injured, including two children, in an accident involving five vehicles on the A59 on Sunday afternoon, said local authorities.

According to official reports from the police officers who were on scene at the site of the accident, the crash occurred at approximately 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon, near Green Hammerton in the Harrogate District of North Yorkshire, England. The accident occurred about 8 miles west of York and 10 miles east of Harrogate.  The crash involved two mini buses, a truck and a Ford Galaxy sedan vehicle, that were all heading towards York, and a Volswagen Scirocco that was heading in the opposite direction.

Eye witness reports gathered by police at the scene suggest that the Ford Galaxy slowed down in order to make a right turn into the Old Granary road off the A59. The two mini buses, which were travelling behind the Ford, managed to slow down in time to avoid hitting the car, but a truck coming from behind was not able to stop in time and smashed into the rear of the last bus. This caused a train reaction, with the rear bus hitting into the front bus which in turn hit into the Galaxy.

The Volkswagen Scirocco was not hit by any of the cars, but debris flew into the oncoming lane and damaged the vehicle. It was not immediately clear how many passengers were involved in the accident.

At first, a helicopter was called to the scene to assist the injured passengers. However, first responders later called the helicopter off after it was discovered that the injuries sustained were less serious than feared, said a spokeswoman for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service. She went on to explain that two adults and two children were injured in the accident, with one adult sustaining chest and neck injuries that were not life threatening.

Both of the adults that were injured were the drivers of the two mini buses. Although none of the injuries sustained were serious, all four of the injured individuals were transported to local hospitals to be examined as a precautionary measure. The four people have since been released from Harrogate District Hospital after their injuries were treated.

The A59 towards York remained closed for two hours after the accident to allow rescue workers and crews from the city to clear the road of debris. A complete investigation into the accident is currently underway.

A female motorist has been charged with multiple violations of motor vehicle laws and regulations after she was involved in an accident with a Lexington school bus on March 1.

According to authorities from the Lexington Police Department, who are investigating the case, the woman has been charged, amongst other things, for marked lanes and turning violations. The accident occurred early in the morning on Friday, March 1, at approximately 8.15am. According to eye witness reports, the female motorist made an illegal turn on the portion of road between Spring Street and Route 2. A number 28 school bus carrying pupils from Three Bridge Elementary School was in the southbound lane when the woman turned in front of the bus. The driver was unable to avoid her and struck into the female motorist’s vehicle.

The woman’s vehicle, which was a small SUV, spun out of control after it was hit by the bus and struck an oncoming vehicle in the adjacent lane. Traffic was diverted from Spring Street for around an hour following the accident, to allow emergency responders to assess the injured, transport passengers from the scene and clear the wreckage of the bus and two motor cars involved in the incident. There were approximately 20 students from Three Bridge Elementary School on board the bus at the time of the incident, all between the ages of 8 and 11.

Three of the students as well as the female motorist were transported to local hospitals following the accident, where they were assessed and treated for minor injuries. The students were taken to Emerson Hospital in Concord by ambulance, while the adult woman was taken to Lahey Clinic emergency department in Burlington. A spokesperson from the Lexington Public Schools department said that the students were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure, and have since been released from hospital and reunited with their parents.

“All other students have been assessed and evaluated by school staff and Lexington emergency responders”, said the spokesperson in a press release. “All students are doing fine”. Three Bridge Elementary School staff offered the students involved the accident emotional support.

Authorities have not yet revealed when the motorists trial will be and have not released the motorist’s identity. If found guilty of the charges, the woman will have to pay up to $5000 in fines and may have her driver’s license suspended.

At least 11 children have been killed and numerous others injured after a school bus was involved in an accident with a truck in a rural region of Northwest India on Monday, said police authorities.

Initial reports indicate that the school bus, which was travelling along a rural, poorly maintained road near Jaheer village in the northwestern state of Punjab, collided with a truck that was carrying a load of bricks and was travelling at very slow speeds. There were approximately 30 school children on board the bus at the time of the accident, ranging in age from 5 years to 14 years, said a local senior police officer, Rajinder Singh.

Singh and other senior officers will be investigating the accident further. According to the Press Trust of India news agency, which gathered initial media reports regarding the accident, seven children were declared dead on the scene. The driver was also killed instantly in the accident. 18 other children were seriously injured and transported to local hospitals via ambulance. Four of the injured children later died of their injuries while in hospital, bringing the total death toll of the accident to 12.

Although preliminary investigations are underway, it is not yet clear what the cause of the accident was or whether either of the drivers were responsible for the accident. Police are currently searching for the as yet unidentified driver of the brick laden truck, who fled from the scene of the accident, said Singh. Singh urged any individuals who had knowledge of the truck driver’s whereabouts to please come forward.

India and its mountainous neighbors have some of the world’s deadliest roads. In India, more than 110 000 people are killed each year in road traffic related accidents. Of this number, the majority are killed in high fatality bus accidents such as this one. It is thought that the high fatality rates are due to overcrowded buses, poorly maintained roads and reckless driving by inexperienced or inadequately trained drivers.

India’s neighbor, Nepal, is also known for its dangerous roads. This accident comes just a week after 15 people were killed when a bus carrying a wedding party plunged off the road and into a ravine in rural Nepal. 25 people, including the bride and groom, were injured in the accident. It is thought that the driver of that bus, who was killed in the accident, had been drinking earlier in the evening.

For thousands of people in the United States, travelling by bus remains an affordable, reliable and relatively safe method of transport. Although buses are generally safe, the fact that these vehicles carry large numbers of people mean that if an accident does occur, the chance that many people will get injured or even killed is much higher than in accidents involving passenger cars. The safety of buses is affected by a number of easily monitored factors, such as adequate maintenance of the vehicle, a well run bus operating company, and driver safety. This article focuses on how the safety of buses in the United States can be improved.

Through investigations into the causes of bus accidents, the United States National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the two factors that contribute greatly to bus accidents are driver fatigue and bus operators that do not comply with government safety regulations. Drivers are often required to work for prolonged hours without adequate rest days, which leads to exhaustion and delayed response times while driving, or drivers that fall asleep while at the wheel. These events can have tragic consequences, resulting in the death or injury of bus passengers.

Corrupt bus operators also play a role in accidents. In recent years, there have been a number of cases investigated by the NTSB in which companies that were found to be unsafe by over sight agencies and placed out of service, would be re-incarnated using another business name and a new operations number from the US Department of Transportation.

Another problem that often arises in such cases is bus drivers that do not have adequate qualifications. Bus drivers need to have a professional driving permit, and should be closely monitored by bus operators to assess their on the job performance. Drivers should also have regular medical check ups to ensure that their health enables them to operate a vehicle safely. Any drivers that show reckless driving practices, do not have the required qualifications or are medically unfit should not be permitted to carry passengers.

Drivers and operators should cooperate to ensure that drivers are not over worked, with maximum working hours set by the federal Department of Transportation, to decrease the risk of driver fatigue. In addition, measures such as fatigue risk management programs and vehicle technologies that will alert the driver if he is veering out of the lane or approaching another vehicle can assist in decreasing the risk of accidents.