BUS CRASH IN TEXAS KILLS 17 AND INJURIES MANY OTHERS
WHY ARE THESE INCIDENTS WHICH ARE EASILY PREVENTABLE INCREASING IN FREQUENCY?
On Friday, August 8, 2008, 17 people were killed and many others catastrophically injured when an unlicenced chartered bus ran off a highway overpass in Sherman, Texas. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered Iguala Bus Mex and Angel Tours Inc. to cease all commercial operations. The agency issued a second order finding that the activities of Angel De La Torre, owner and President of the bus company in connection with motor carrier operations pose an imminent hazard to the public. Authorities also announced that the bus was pulled out of service because it was unauthorized to be operated. The driver’s traffic record included multiple citations for driving while intoxicated in 2001, for speeding in May 2004 and March 2007 and his license was suspended for two months in 2001 because of a DWI conviction noted a spokesperson from the National Transportation Safety Board. The driver failed roadside inspections twice last year and his bus was pulled out of service both times but inspectors. The bus accident in Sherman, Texas is among the nation’s deadliest and calls to question why so many of these accidents that don’t have to happen are occurring with greater frequency.
Recently in July 2008, another serious accident occurred when a bus ran through a stop sign on an elevated exit ramp and off an overpass. Repeatedly, there have been demands made upon the National Transportation and Safety Bureau to mandate stronger bus safety regulations, including stronger roofs, window glazing and mandatory seat belts. History will reveal that such recommendations have been made to NTSB since 1968 but have never been made into law. In July 2008, the National Transportation Safety Board released its findings regarding March 2007 bus crash where 5 students from Ohio’s Bluffton University were killed and dozens more injured. Mark Rosenker, Chairman of The National Transportation Safety Board believes that the right safety equipment, including seat belts, could have minimized the losses. But Rosenker wanted more than just seat belts. “It is making the vehicle crash-worthy.” That includes better glazing of the windows, stronger roof lines, creating stronger seats, creating a compartment where, in fact, “if people were pushed around, they wouldn’t also necessarily be ejected”. Rosenker also contributed the accident to poorly placed road signs causing a confusing atmosphere for the driver. He noted “the road signs should have been next to each other. One that showed with an arrow that if you go to the left, you will be in the exit lane, and, another which showed that if you remain in the lane, you will be in the through lane. The problem was they had such a description, about a quarter of a mile before getting there. In response to Georgia Department of Transportation officials have changed the placement of its highway signs where the accident occurred.
The Pennsylvania vehicle accident lawyers of Reiff and Bily is one of Pennsylvania’s most successful personal injury law firms with extensive experience and understanding of common carrier litigation, as well as defectively designed automotive vehicles.
When it comes to the legal responsibility owed by bus drivers and bus companies to their passengers and others, a bus is considered a common carrier. A common carrier is an individual company or public utility, like city buses, which is in the regular business of transporting people and/or freight. Such common carriers owe their passengers a greater duty of safety and protection than an ordinary car. Common carriers have a higher level of responsibility to drive with the utmost care and protect the passengers and other vehicles sharing the road. However, despite this higher level of responsibility, bus drivers do not always drive safely and in some cases, are not trained properly. As a result, in many cases innocent people are injured and are killed. Bus accidents can be caused by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the following:
1. Driver negligence;
2. Inadequate security;
3. Dangerous roadways;
4. Weather conditions;
5. Negligence;
6. Defective product;
7. Improper maintenance;
8. Improper training;
9. Lack of safety equipment and/or procedures;
10. Crashworthiness; and
11. Failure to contain (lack of belts, glazing)
If you, your child or a loved one has been involved in a serious bus accident, you may be unprepared for the intricacies of dealing with a claim and require legal assistance during this time of need. The Pennsylvania vehicle accident law firm of Reiff and Bily has earned national respect and recognition from our peers for their successful representation and maximum recovery of damages for motor vehicle, truck and bus accident victims. We have over 30 years of experience handling serious and catastrophic injury litigation. We have been highly rated by our peers locally, nationally and internationally.
The Philadelphia truck accident lawyersand bus crash attorneys at Reiff and Bily work on a contingent fee basis, charging a small percentage of the recovery. They will not get paid one cent unless there is a successful recovery and have handled thousands of personal injury cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from their opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.
