Bus Accident Injury

Although buses are generally considered a safe method of transportation, bus crashes do happen and they can be fatal. Sometimes, the bus accident is the result of negligence on the part of the driver, other times it may have to do with improper repairs or maintenance to the bus. Either way, injuries sustained in a bus wreck can be costly—financially and emotionally—to the victims and their families.

Bus Information

A bus is a vehicle designed to carry passengers. Typically, buses carry a large number of passengers, however even vehicles designed to carry as few as eight passengers plus one driver can be considered a bus. Buses are used in a variety of transportation situations, including for transporting students to school, public transit, sightseeing tours, private charters, not-for-profit transportation and shuttles.

According to the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an average of 19 motorcoach (bus) occupants are killed in crashes each year. Bus accidents can also cause harm to people outside the bus, including pedestrians, bicyclists and occupants of other vehicles.

School Bus Accidents

The NHTSA reports that an average of 20 school-age children die in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year, including five occupants of school transportation vehicles and 14 pedestrians. Furthermore, since 1996, 1,536 people have died in school transportation-related crashes. Approximately 70 percent of those killed were occupants of the other vehicles involved, while a further 20 percent were not occupants in vehicles (such as pedestrians or bicyclists).

Tour Bus Accidents

There are federal and state laws governing how buses are operated. Bus laws may vary, depending on the state the bus is owned and/or operated in. There are laws regarding how many hours bus drivers can work, how many "violations" a bus driver can have before having a license removed, whether or not a state has special turning and passing laws for buses and whether or not a state has laws requiring bus drivers to use extra caution and pay more attention to what is happening on the road.

Bus Accident Lawyer

There are many parties that could potentially be liable in a bus crash. These include the owner and/or operator of the bus, the company responsible for maintenance of the bus and the bus driver, depending on the circumstances of the crash. An experienced bus crash lawyer understands the complexities of a bus accident lawsuit and can help those affected by the crash protect their rights.

Bus Accident Legal Help

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Last updated on Apr-17-14