INJURED? LET US HELP YOU
Were You Injured in a School Bus Accident?
In a car accident with a school bus, we rightfully worry most about the children, but by far the group to be most affected by death and injury are passengers of other vehicles. In a recent 10-year period of school bus crashes, about 70% of deaths and 51% of injuries were occupants of vehicles other than the school bus. This is no surprise as the sheer size and weight of a bus — which is five times more than an average passenger vehicle — can cause extensive damage when involved in a sideswipe, rear-end, or head-on collision.
The injuries that result from these accidents can include a range of medical problems from relatively minor bumps, scrapes, and bruises to very serious injuries.
Life-altering injuries can include:
- Whiplash
- Bodily injuries
- Burns
- Wrongful death
- Bruising
- Lacerations
- Infections
- Lost limbs
- Concussions
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Broken and fractured bones
- Soft tissue injuries
- Internal injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Paralysis
Was Your Child Injured in a School Bus Accident?
Statistically, children are safer taking the bus to school rather than riding in a car; however, when school bus accidents DO occur, they can be devastating. Each year, approximately seven children are killed in school bus accidents, and there’s an average of 5,000 injuries, according to data from a recent 10-year period.
These injuries are sustained in both crashes as well as non-crash incidents. For example, a bus crash might result in injuries to passengers because of the lack of seat belts on many school buses across the U.S. While a theory called “compartmentalization” deems a bus safe even without lap and shoulder restraints, this design does not always protect children from the dangers of rollovers and side-impact collisions.
Furthermore, a non-crash accident might be an injury sustained while at the crosswalk or while onloading/offloading. These can often involve other cars, and the resulting injuries can be devastating, especially if you are the parent of the injured child. We want to help hurt children and their families get the care they need following a traumatic school bus accident.
Who is Liable in a School Bus Accident?
Because school buses are considered common carriers that transport children—our most precious cargo— their drivers and the companies who employ them must operate at the highest standard of care. This means that they rightfully have lower thresholds for liability.
Depending on the circumstances of a school bus accident, several parties could be liable for you or your child’s injury, including:
- The bus driver
- School district in which the bus operates
- The school board
- School bus contracting company that the school employed
- School bus manufacturer
- School bus maintenance company
- The driver of another motor vehicle
- Government entity that maintains the roadway
We place the care of our children into the hands of these individuals every day. If any party is found to be neglectful in their duty to protect them, they should be held accountable for any injuries or property damage.
