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School Bus Accidents

Each morning you walk your children to the school bus assuming that they will arrive safely at school. But the hard truth is that in the last 20 years, 1,450 people have been killed in school bus related accidents and tens of thousands of children have been seriously injured in school bus accidents. In fact, an average of 9,000 people are injured in school bus crashes each year.

In some ways, buses are actually safer than some other vehicles - school buses move slowly, have trained drivers, and are large and stable. However, these vehicles also have some safety issues, such as a lack of seatbelts, a lack of emergency exits, and large driver blind spots. A lack of seatbelts means that a school bus rollover accident could result in a number of serious injuries. A lack of emergency exits means that a large number of students may have trouble evacuating a dangerous school bus situation in a short amount of time. Large bus driver blind spots means that it is easy for a bus driver to not see hazards such as an approaching car or a child pedestrian.

Bus accident injuries can include traumatic brain injuries, bone fractures, spinal cord injuries, neck and back trauma, blunt force trauma, burn injuries, other internal injuries, and death.

What are some common causes of school bus accidents?

Bus Driver Error. In some cases, bus accidents occur because the bus driver breaks a traffic law, becomes distracted, or drives recklessly. In 1995, five children were killed and 30 were injured when a bus driver stopped her bus on commuter rail tracks and was struck by a train. In this accident, the bus driver's lack of training was the reason for the crash.

Other vehicle driver errors. Did you know that you must legally stop 100 feet behind a school bus and that you must come to a stop when approaching from either direction if a bus' lights are flashing? There is a good reason for these school bus laws, and when drivers do not obey them, the result is sometimes a serious school bus crash or child pedestrian accident.

Pedestrian accidents. The majority of children killed each year in school bus related accidents are victims of pedestrian deaths. In some of these child pedestrian accidents, children boarding or leaving buses are hit by vehicles that do not obey school bus traffic laws. In other cases, children fall under the back wheels of the bus.

Mechanical failures. Since school buses are so heavily used and carry such large loads, it is no surprise that some bus accidents are caused by mechanical failures such as faulty brakes. In some cases, mechanical failures may be caused by irregular maintenance or improper maintenance.

School bus accident litigation can be complicated, and it is critical to find an experienced legal team that can investigate the causes of the bus accident and determine which parties were responsible for your child's serious injury. Serving the South Coast of Massachusetts, Phillips & Garcia can help you through the process of recovering rightful damages from the bus accident that has altered your life.

Phillips & Garcia, P.C., is located in North Dartmouth, MA, and serves the following Massachusetts cities and counties on the South Coast: Bristol County, Plymouth County, New Bedford, Fall River, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Acushnet, Westport, East Freetown, Assonet, Taunton, Somerset, Swansea, Mattapoisett, Marion, and Wareham.

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