School bus accidents are terrifying and can be tragic. Often, there are multiple victims and sometimes multiple responsible parties, as well. Riding the school bus is statistically the safest way for a child to get to and from school, but whenever a child is late coming home, parents still fear the worst. Sometimes they are right.
Fatalities during Loading and Unloading
Even though we have very strict laws with regard to extra caution when driving around school buses, about 80% of children killed in school bus accidents are injured when boarding and exiting the bus.
Some children are struck by the bus itself. Many are struck by other careless drivers. Children are small and difficult to see. They behave erratically, lingering, falling down, and dashing out across the road unexpectedly. That is why it is so important to never pass a school bus with its lights flashing and stop sign engaged. School bus drivers are supposed to wait and watch and make sure that all children are completely off the bus and safely out of and/or across the road before signaling other vehicles that it is safe to move on. Sometimes bus drivers fail to do so, and often other driver become impatient and do not wait for the “all clear.”
Collisions
Even though buses typically have many more passengers than other vehicles on the road, in bus to vehicle collisions about 70% of people killed are occupants of other vehicles. Much like large commercial trucks, school buses are big and heavy, far out-weighing the other vehicle and actually offering some protection to bus passengers by their sheer bulk.
Causes
Driver error and negligence can cause school bus accidents, but far too often the underlying cause is money-oriented. We like to think that our school officials put our children’s safety above and beyond all else. Unfortunately, finances often win out over safety. Whether it is due to greed or underfunding, many schools choose to delay repairs and upgrades to save money. They are also reluctant to call off classes due to dangerous weather, because that can affect their funding. When these decisions are made, the cost of doing the right thing is weighed against the cost of fighting a lawsuit, and in most cases, the cheapest option wins.
Common causes of school bus accident include:
· Hazardous weather conditions
· Faulty vehicles
· Driver error
· Driver Intoxication
· Defective roadways
Lack of Seatbelts
Although fatal injuries to school bus passengers are rare, survivable injuries can still be catastrophic. The interior of a bus offers little to no padding or protection from life-altering injuries, such as brain injury, and even the jostling of hitting a pothole can cause dental or eye injuries. At present, most buses do not have seat belts, and in most areas there are no laws requiring students to wear them.
If your child has been injured or killed in a school bus accident in Maryland, Virginia or Washington DC, please contact the experienced injury lawyers at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C. to see if you have a legal claim.
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