Ten Elementary School Children Hospitalized After Bus Crash

Ocala.com reports that ten children were taken to three Florida hospitals after the school bus they were riding in was struck by another vehicle. A 2008 Mustang was exiting a subdivision attempting to turn onto a county road but failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with the left side of the school bus. The bus was reportedly traveling with 65 elementary school students at the time of the accident.

The ten children that were transported to medical facilities were taken as a precaution because they complained of neck and back pain following the accident. 25-year-old Christopher Harple, who was driving the Mustang, was charged with failure to stop at a stop sign and failure to show proof of insurance.

Public transportation is often thought to be a very safe way to travel and is very useful for those that try to save money as they don’t have to worry about gas prices in today’s economy. However, despite its advantages, public transportation can sometimes be very dangerous. Whether you are a passenger in a bus or driving a separate vehicle, auto accidents involving a bus can be very dangerous to the passengers in the bus and to the driver of the vehicle they crash into. This is especially true for children riding in a school bus. School buses don’t have seat belts so it is very easy for a child to fall out of their seat or worse. A school bus operator should always ensure that their passengers are safely in their seats and always try and maintain safety precautions on roadways.
 

Wrongful Death Suit Filed Against Disneyworld

The mother of a 9-year-old boy that was killed at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Lodge in April has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Chase Brubaker was killed after he struck the side of a Disney bus that was passing by and the boy was dragged under the rear wheels of the vehicle. According to the report, the Florida Highway Patrol argued that one of the wheels of Brubaker’s dirt bike was to blame for the accident, as it was flat.

Brubaker’s mother’s lawsuit blames poor sidewalk condition and the bus the bus system for her son’s death. The suit contends that the sidewalks are designed in such a way as to prevent people from stepping toward the park to avoid bicyclists and other pedestrians. Instead, they must step toward the roadway, directly in the path of any oncoming vehicles including the Disney bus system. The suit claims Disney failed to maintain a duty of safety to its visitors to prevent such incidents from occurring. Brubaker’s mother seeks over $15,000 in damages.

A spokesperson for Disney stated that the Florida Highway Patrol report found that the driver of the bus was not at fault for the accident. However, the lawsuit claims the park is at fault because they failed to maintain a duty to its visitors. Brubaker’s mother can prove that Disney was negligent in this matter if there is proof that the breach of duty was foreseeable. If there is no specific evidence that this incident, or any other incident, was a foreseeable danger, it will be difficult to prove the company was negligent.
 

18 People Injured When Charter Bus Careens with Median

According to the Dallas Morning News, 18 people were injured when a charter bus carrying over 30 people collided with a concrete divider on a major interstate highway. The report states the bus veered out of control before colliding with the divider. The injuries that passengers suffered were bruises and broken bones. There were no deaths reported in the accident nor were any injuries life-threatening injuries.

The bus’s windshield shattered upon impact with the divider and three of the people that were injured were ejected through the passenger windows. The uninjured were taken to a church where they awaited another bus to drive them the rest of the way to their original destination. There is no information on the factors that contributed to the accident.

Public transportation is often thought to be a very safe way to travel and is very useful for those that try to save money as they don’t have to worry about gas prices in today’s economy. However, despite its advantages, public transportation can sometimes be very dangerous. Whether you are a passenger in a bus or driving a separate vehicle, auto accidents involving a bus can be very dangerous to the passengers in the bus. These types of accidents can lead to very serious injuries for all parties involved. In some cases, the driver in a bus could be easily distracted by a passenger in the bus and can inadvertently crash into a vehicle ahead of them. Driver fatigue can also be a major contributor to accidents involving a bus because bus drivers often drive for long hours in a day without getting a break. Although there is no way to ensure bus drivers maintain their vehicles properly and follow safety measures on the road, you can do so yourself. Always ensure you follow road signs and take extreme caution when on the road.
 

Bus with 22 Kids Crashes in Washington

In Bellevue, WA twenty two middle and high school students are in the hospital after their Boys and Girls Club bus crashes into a Blazer SUV on Friday evening. On the 15300 block of Lake Hills Blvd. at around 6pm the bus crashed into the Blazer SUV and careened across the road before slamming into a tree. 

 

The bus had just left the Boys and Girls Club when the driver apparently suffered some type of medical event that contributed to the accident occurring. Some of the kids that were in the bus when the accident occurred have stated that they saw the bus driver slump over moments before the crash. The passengers were able to exit the bus and the medic treated the injured bus driver at the scene. All the passengers and the bus drivers were transported to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue as a precaution, although luckily none of the kids appeared to have suffered any serious injuries. It is unknown what caused the bus driver to slump over. The Bellevue Police Department will be completing an accident investigation and the State Patrol will be inspecting the bus.

There are so many factors that could have contributed to the accident occurring, and if one of the children had suffered a serious injury then it can be difficult to know who to hold accountable. Your child should never be put in danger when driving any type of public transportation. Drivers have the responsibility to uphold a certain standard, and the company that employs the driver has the responsibility to ensure that the drivers are in the best shape and physical condition. If your child has suffered an injury from a bus accident, then contacting an Arizona personal injury lawyer is your best option for compensation for your child’s medical costs and suffering.

 

Bus Fire in Tempe, AZ

On Friday July 2nd, a Valley Metro Bus was unexpectedly destroyed Friday afternoon when it went up in flames in Tempe, AZ around Southern Avenue and the Loop 101. 

 

The Tempe Fire Department has stated that the driver of the bus was having trouble with the air conditioner and the bus was going to be taken out of service. Shorty after, the fire started at around 4:30pm. Unfortunately the firefighters were unable to reach the bus in time to prevent the bus being completely engulfed in flames. Luckily all 23 passengers were able to exit the bus without any injuries. No part of the metro bus was able to be salvaged.  

While the passengers in this situation were able get out of the situation alive, this does not mean that passangers involved in bus accidents are this lucky. Most suffer injuries like severe burns, head trauma, broken bones, loss of limbs and even death. The city that provides the bus service and the company of the bus service has the responsibility to the citizens that the public transportation system vehicles are safe and working properly at all times. No one should ever fall victim to a faulty bus vehicle. If you or a family member was involved in a bus accident and was injured, then contacting an Arizona personal injury attorney is your best option for compensation for your injuries.