Bus Accident Lawyer

Several Hurt in Florida Bus Crash Involving Big Rig

Several buses and a big rig truck collided in Flagler County, Florida late in the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2015, resulting in at least four injuries. The crash took place near 11 p.m. on Interstate 95 North near the Palm Coast Parkway exit. Several buses were traveling in a convoy formation, which at least one bus being towed by another, when mechanical troubles caused the bus leading the group to come to a complete halt in the far right lane of the freeway. The buses following also came to a halt, but a big rig truck tailing the bus convoy was unable to hit the brakes in time, resulting in a rear-end crash that caused a chain reaction collision between massive, heavy vehicles.

The bus hit by the rig slammed into the bus in front of it, which in turn smashed into the next bus in the convoy. The convoy was comprised of school buses. The ages and identities of the injured parties is not clear at this time, and although one person was reported as being in serious condition following the collision, all injured parties are expected to survive following treatment and evaluation at an area hospital. The most grievous injuries were sustained by a pedestrian bystander who became trapped between two of the large vehicles during the crash.

Interstate 95 had several northbound lanes closed following the crash as victims were treated and transported and accident debris was cleared from the roadway. All vehicles sustained significant damage as a result of the collision. The only people on board the buses at the time of the crash were the drivers, and investigating officers noted that not one of the buses contained any seats in the passenger transport areas of the buses. It is not known what, if any, school these buses were associated with. The police investigation into the crash remains ongoing at this time.

According to crash statistics released by the Florida’s Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles agency, 28 deaths and more than 1,300 injuries resulted from traffic crashes involving buses in the year 2013, the last year for which data was made available.

Investigation Continues in Kentucky School Bus Dragging Incident

A bus transporting elementary school students home in Louisville was involved in a baffling incident late in the afternoon of Friday, May 15, 2015. The bus had stopped to drop off a little girl at her babysitter’s place of residence when the driver shut the exit doors before the girl had fully deboarded from the bus, the doors closing around the young lady’s backpack, leaving her trapped in the bus doorway, legs dangling onto the street.

The young girl, who attended nearby Jefferson County Public Schools’ Wilkerson Elementary School, was pulled alongside the bus, flailing helplessly as the driver obliviously continued to drive almost a quarter of a mile up the roadway. Onlookers attempted to alert the driver to the little girl hanging out of the bus doors by her backpack, running up the road and shouting, but to no avail. One man sped up alongside the bus, attempting to get the bus driver’s attention after seeing the stuck girl being dragged along the roadway.

Witnesses to the incident expressed awe and confusion at how a bus driver could remain so totally unaware of a child trapped in her bus’ doorway mere feet from where she sat while driving the bus. The child’s babysitter was astounded by the incident, having watched her young charge become trapped and whisked up the road. The babysitter stated that the bus operator ought to have made certain the child was off the bus and up the walkway prior to closing the bus doors and putting the bus into motion.

A person who lives near the scene of the incident caught footage of the bizarre mishap via home surveillance camera. A red sports car zoomed alongside and then in front of the bus to cut it off in traffic—a move that onlookers at first feared might lead to tragedy, but ultimately was what caused the bus driver to snap back to reality and stop her vehicle.  The bus finally stopped near the intersection of Johnsontown Road and Morning Star Way.

The girl was transported immediately to nearby Kosair Children’s Hospital with minor wounds. She was shaken but not crying at the time of the incident, asking for her mother. Jefferson County Public Schools’ officials are investigating the matter, and it is not yet known whether charges may be filed against the school bus driver at this time.

New York City-Based Bus Explodes in Massachusetts

A bus traveling from New York to Boston met a fiery end late in the afternoon of Monday, May 11, 2015, when the bus’ read end caught fire. The fire spread quickly and led to an explosion, which caused the windows of the vehicle to burst from the pressure within. Moments before the explosion, the bus pulled over and allowed passengers to disembark. The bus driver allegedly was not aware that the situation was emergent, and deboarded the passengers in the standard way, without indicating that any danger was at hand or opening emergency exits.

After passengers exited the vehicle, they noticed smoke issuing forth from the rear of the vehicle. As the smoke pillars grew, passengers scattered and not long afterward, the bus was engulfed in flames. A preliminary investigation performed by Massachusetts State Police has indicated that severe engine trouble was the cause of the incident. None of the 46 people traveling on the bus at the time of the fire was injured in the blast.

The bus driver reportedly advised those on board that the bus was old, and that due to the bus’ age the temperature control in the vehicle was haphazard and told those on board to use clothing to warm up if need be. The bus was serviced briefly in Connecticut due to a check engine light, then was allowed to go on its way until the check engine light returned, prompting the driver to again pull over and deboard the bus. This was when the smoke, fire and subsequent explosion took place.

One passenger reported hearing the driver of the vehicle tell the service person in Connecticut that she knew something was amiss, and kept her hand near the emergency brake for miles leading up to the stop at the service station. Some passengers has expressed alarm following the incident as to how the driver handled the situation: failing to warn passengers of any potential danger and not advising use of emergency exits.

The fire remains under investigation at this time. It is not yet known whether any charges will be filed as a result of the incident.

Two School Buses Collide in Texas, Ending in Dozens Hospitalized

More than two dozen people were injured during a crash caused by one school bus smashing into another in a rear-end collision in Fort Worth in the middle of the afternoon of Monday, April 27, 2015. Both buses were transporting students from Summer Creek Middle School when one of the buses rear-ended the other bus near the intersection of Summer Creek Drive and Summer Park Drive, only a short distance from the school.

Between the two vehicles, 70 children were traveling home from school aboard the buses at the time of the crash. Of these, at least 23 were taken to Texas Health Resources Southwest Medical Center for medical evaluation and treatment, as well as two adults. No fatalities resulted from this collision, and all injured parties are expected to make a full recovery.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation at this time, although weather may have played a part in the accident, as conditions were wet and rainy at the time the collision took place. It has been reported that some sort of issue on the first bus—possibly involving poor behavior on the part of the student passengers—may have caused it to stop, rendering the second bus unable to brake effectively in time to avoid collision when it traveled over the hill where the first bus was located. Upon receiving call of the double bus crash, the MedStar ambulance company issued its AmBus—a medical treatment and evaluation vehicle equipped to handle large numbers of victims—to the site of the accident.

Nearly 1,400 violations were discovered during more than 5,500 inspections of Durham School Services—the company that provides bussing services for children in the district—over a two-year period. Whether such violations may have been a factor in this most recent crash is not yet known. A little over 325 collisions were reported during the same two-year timeframe of the prior statistics. However, in only a small number of cases was the driver’s fault found so severe as to rule out future driving for the company (around 3 percent).

Colorado Tour Bus Collision Injures All On Board

A tour bus carrying musical performer George Lewis, Jr.—who performs under the moniker Twin Shadow—collided with a big rig truck on the morning of Friday, April 17, 2015, injuring all 12 people traveling on the bus at the time of the crash. The bus was carrying techs and musicians alike, and Lewis underwent hand surgery as a result of the crash. Although the singer and guitarist is expected to make a full recovery, the drummer for the group, Andy Bauer, is reported as being in serious condition at this time, as is bus driver John Crawford.

The bus was traveling along Interstate 70 near the E-470 toll road in Aurora, Colorado when it smashed into the back of a heavy truck. Weather conditions—which consisted of thick fog and snowy, icy roadways—are considered to have been a contributing factor in the collision. The Twin Shadow tour bus was severely damaged in the front end. Another tour bus, which was traveling behind the vehicle carrying Twin Shadow and transporting members of Thompson Square, crashed into the back of the tour bus, and was subsequently hit by another big rig truck, yielding a “domino effect” collision. It is not known whether people traveling in the second bus or either of the big rig trucks were injured. One of the trucks involved in the crash was a FedEx vehicle.

The interstate was closed for several hours on Friday morning as the scene was cleaned up. Colorado State Police representatives stated that the condition of the roadways called for snow chains and tires to be used in the area where the multiple-vehicle collision took place. Twelve patients total were transported to the Medical Center of Aurora and Colorado State University Hospital, where five were treated and released in short order.

The crash remains under investigation by the Colorado State Police at this time.

Minnesota Bus Crash Ends in Fatality, Injuries

A bus owned and operated by the Duluth Transit Authority was involved in a major accident on the morning of Tuesday, April 15, 2015 after it smashed into a utility pole and collided with temporary concrete walls surrounding a nearby construction site. The bus was then struck by yet another Duluth Transit bus after coming to a stop.

The crash took place near the corner of West Superior Street and Fourth Avenue in downtown Duluth when the driver—for reasons unknown—lost control of the vehicle, causing it to swerve out of control, resulting in one person’s death and nearly a dozen injuries. The extent of the injuries has not been reported, though nearly several passengers traveling on both buses involved in the crash were taken to area hospitals for medical evaluation and treatment.

It is not yet known whether mechanical failure may have played a role in this collision. The drivers operating both buses reportedly had very good driving records, with few safety flags over the course of their decades-long careers with Duluth Transit. The drivers were given official commendation for their demonstration of driver safety only one week ago. Officials from Duluth Transit Authority have stated that both buses involved in the crash were rather new and recently inspected, so if mechanical failure were to blame, it would come as a surprise.

One bus operator was treated and released at the scene, while the other was hospitalized for his injuries. At least nine people who were passengers on board one of the buses were taken to a hospital, as well. A witness described people coming off of the out-of-control bus and wandering in a daze, seemingly hurt and confused following the incident.

The investigation into the cause of the accident remains ongoing, and it is not yet known whether charges may be filed as a result of the collision. Both bus drivers will be given toxicology tests in order to determine if drugs or alcohol may have played a contributing part in the crash. The identity of the person who died in the crash has not been released, pending notification of next-of-kin.

Indianapolis School Bus Overturns Into Roadside Ravine

A school bus from Franklin township veered off the road and into a small ravine in the morning of Tuesday, April 7, 2015 while traveling on Mimosa Lane near the intersection with Acton Road, close to the Interstate 74 and Southeastern Avenue. The bus apparently went over a guardrail and tipped sideways into a ditch as it came to rest. It was transporting high school students from a nearby school at the time of the accident.

The cause of the crash is not known at this time, and authorities have yet to say whether drugs or alcohol may have played a role in this crash. Initial reports indicate that the bus may have hit a bump or curb on the side of the road, causing the vehicle to hit the guardrail and turn halfway over. The bus began to issue forth smoke as the students and driver evacuated the vehicle to safety at the side of the road. The investigation into the details surrounding the crash remains ongoing at this time.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident, nor was anyone on board the bus seriously injured. Ten people were on the bus at the time of the incident, and two of the students on board, as well as the bus driver, were transported to an area hospital for evaluation for minor injuries. All parties are expected to make a full recovery from their injuries.

According to statistics released by the Indiana state government in its annual traffic safety report, there were a total of 82 single-vehicle school-bus collisions in the year 2012 (the last year for which statistics were made available) out of a total of 767 collisions involving school buses. These numbers are out of more than 185,000 collisions which occurred in the state that resulted in personal injury or damage to property, and both total damage collisions and school-bus collisions were down from the previous calendar year.

Kentucky Truck Driver Faces Charges in School Bus Crash

Twelve people were injured and at least seven were hospitalized following a crash at the corner of Naomi Drive and Poplar Level Road in Louisville, Kentucky on the afternoon of Monday, March 30, 2015. The collision took place when a blue Toyota pickup truck reportedly ran several red lights before reaching the intersection, where it smashed into the side of a Jefferson County school bus. More than 20 people were on the bus at the time of the crash, around half of whom sustained injuries as a result of the collision.

The driver of the truck, a man named Ricardo Perez, allegedly attempted to flee on foot following the crash. However, a witness tackled the man and kept him at the scene until authorities arrived and arrested him under suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Other witnesses caught the post-crash scuffle on video recording.

Perez faced charges Tuesday morning related to driving under the influence, operating a vehicle without a license to drive, lack of automobile insurance, lack of automobile registration, marijuana possession, and driving with an open alcoholic beverage container, to which he pleaded not guilty. He is currently being detained with a $10,000 bond until his next court date in mid-April.

The bus was transporting students from nearby Indian Trail Elementary School when the accident occurred. The driver of the bus and several students on board were hurt in the collision, but none of the injuries sustained were grave, and both children and driver are expected to fully recover following medical treatment at an area hospital. Perez apparently did not sustain any injuries in the crash that resulted from his impaired driving.

The pickup truck sustained severe front-end damage as a result of the accident. The school bus did not receive much visible damage, however, as a precaution, all uninjured students were taken home by an alternate school bus which arrived on scene after the crash.

Indiana Bus Crash Ends in Hospitalization For More Than a Dozen

A bus collided with a van in eastern Indianapolis at the intersection of College Avenue and 10th Street early in the morning of Saturday, March 24, 2015, leaving 14 people injured. None of the injuries were reported as life-threatening, and all injured parties were taken to area hospitals to receive medical treatment, including Indiana University Methodist Hospital, Community Hospital East, and Eskenazi Health. The drivers of both vehicles are said to have sustained the most serious injuries, though both are expected to fully recover following treatment. Both individuals are aged 62. No details have been released about other victims of the crash at this time.

The van reportedly failed to stop for a red light while going southward on College Avenue, causing it to smash into the IndyGo bus which was traveling eastward on 10th Street at the time of the collision. This caused the bus to careen into both a light pole, which was struck down by the force of the crash, and then collided with a tree before coming to a stop. First responders arrived on the scene en masse, and one of those on scene explained that this overwhelming response by emergency personnel was due to the number of injuries reported, making the crash scene a “mass casualty” situation.

It is not yet known whether the van had any passengers within it at the time of the crash, though its make and model year have been identified as a 2006 Ford van. There were 20 passengers traveling on the bus at the time the incident took place. Local authorities with the Metropolitan Indianapolis Police Department are still investigating the crash, and there is no word yet as to whether charges will be filed as a result of the accident.

According to statistics released by the Indiana Traffic Safety Facts report, there were more than 188,000 traffic collisions in the state of Indiana resulting in damage to property or injury to persons in 2012, with more than 700 of these leading to fatality. These numbers are down a fraction of a percent from the reports from the previous calendar year.

Scottish Double Decker Buses Collide, Passengers Freed From Window

Two double decker buses collided with one another on Melville Terrace in Stirling early in the afternoon of Friday, Jan. 30, 2015. The collision caused parts of the bus to become inoperable, and fuel to spill along the roadway. The gasoline spill caused a road closure for several hours as a cleanup effort ensued. No serious injuries were reported, though several passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Emergency personnel were on scene to provide preliminary evaluations of the injured parties. One of the buses, owned and operated by First Bluebird, was pulled over to the side of the road and boarding passengers at the time the collision took place. Although the investigation into the circumstances behind the crash is still ongoing, it appears that the bus which was pulled over was struck by another bus, owned and operated by Davies Coaches, which was traveling on the same side of the road. Fault in the crash has yet to be established, and it is not known whether drugs, alcohol or speeding may have played a role in the accident.

Two passengers were extracted from one of the buses through the window by firefighters and were then transported to a hospital for medical care. Although several minor injuries were reported, the exact number of injured is not known at this time. Police Scotland continue to investigate the cause of the collision.

According to statistics released by Transport Scotland, the number of injuries and fatalities caused by accidents on Scottish roadways has fallen to its lowest recorded levels, with under 11,500 injuries reported in 2013. The Scottish Road Safety Framework, a plan to reduce injuries and deaths on the nation’s roads that was set forth in 2009, has reported that serious injuries on Scottish roads are down more than 55 percent since the project began.

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