School Bus Crashes into a Wall at Houston Tavern

Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys expect that investigators are probably exploring what caused a First Student school bus operator to run off the roadway and crash into a tavern on Thursday, December 8, 2011. According to a recent Chronicle story, law enforcement said that a school bus ran off a roadway and subsequently hit a north wall of a tavern. One of the 37 student passengers on the bus was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment, but was later released. The female bus driver sustained some personal injuries and was unable to respond to emergency personnel.

Fortunately, there were no fatal injuries involved in this school bus accident. However, it is worth mentioning the heroic leadership of the two KIPP 3-D eighth grade students who calmed and evacuated the other elementary students on the bus; and even assisted the driver from her seat before paramedics arrived. First Student has not released the driver’s name, age or medical condition.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports there are several causes of school bus accidents including:

Driver negligence,

Defective equipment,

Dangerous roadways,

Poor weather conditions,

Improper maintenance

Also, according to 2009 data from the NHTSA, since 2000, the number of people who have died in school transportation related activities is 1,386. Of these, 8 percent of the fatalities were occupants of school transportation vehicles, and a shocking 72 percent were occupants of other vehicles involved in the crash. Besides death, other common injuries involved are head and lower-extremity injuries, cuts, fractures, broken bones, facial scars, disfigurements, sprains and strains. Further, frequently children are severely injured when involved in a school bus crash and often have to obtain therapy and rehabilitation treatment for their injuries.

As Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers we are concerned about the safety of Florida children when riding a school bus, and have been involved in a similar related accident in Florida. When your child has been hurt as a result of a school bus driver’s negligence or due to defective equipment; or improper maintenance, a personal injury attorney that handles these types of cases can identify the blameworthy party, including the bus company.

If your child has been injured in a bus accident, you should seek medical attention immediately. Since soft tissue injuries are common among children hurt in a Florida bus accident and these types of injuries poses other serious problems if your child is involved in sports. Soft tissue injuries are those which damage muscles, tendons or ligaments. Additionally, it has reported that types of injuries cause serious pain and dysfunctions in the human body.

Moreover, the NHTSA study has revealed that since 2000, 130 school-age pedestrians, younger than 19, have died in school transportation-related crashes. Of these, 67 percent were struck by school buses, and 43 percent school-age pedestrians were killed in school-transportation-related crashes and were between the ages of 5 and 7.

Our Fort Lauderdale bus accident lawyers can help protect you and your child’s interest; and can consult with you regarding the specific circumstances of your potential claim.

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