Epidemic of Children Being Injured or Killed On The Way To The School Bus

School Bus Safety and Accident Prevention - A personal injury attorneys perspective

 

Recently there have been an astronomically disproportionate number of school bus related accidents that have killed children. These injuries and deaths are unacceptable and sadly, they were easily preventable. I could barely sleep last night thinking about this topic.

 

Last week five children were killed before they were even able to board their school bus. It appears they were all killed while crossing the street to get on their school bus in the dark hours of the early morning. Another five children and two adults were hospitalized in Tampa Florida after being struck by a driver or while they were waiting for their school bus to arrive.

Deaths and Injury Involving School Buses

One of the most dangerous times for a child is waiting for the school bus on the side of a busy road or really any road and crossing the street when the children board the school bus. Why is this such a dangerous time for children?

 

A big part of the school year has children at the end of their driveways or on the side of the roads waiting for buses in the dark. From early November through March children are up for school and waiting for buses before daylight. Statistics show it is during this time before the sun rises and when kids are outside waiting for their bus that a vast number of these tragic accidents occur. During the school year, kids are crossing busy streets 5 days a week in order to get to their bus stop, or to hop on the bus right at end of their own driveway.

 

Even though the school bus has its flashers on and has activated its illuminated stop sign (which is required to be on the side of all buses in most states), other drivers are simply not paying attention and they don't see the flashing lights and children crossing the road to board the bus. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that distracted driving killed 3450 people in 2016 alone, with another whopping 391,000 injured in motor vehicle crashes. Officials say that distracted driving may have been a factor of many of these school bus injury accidents. There is also a possibility that some drivers may not realize or understand that the flashing lights mean they have to stop immediately and wait for the bus to signal the all clear by turning off their flashing lights before they can proceed.

Mitigating Risk of Injury and Death At the Bus Stop

There are a number of things that can be done to reduce the risk to your child of being struck by a motor vehicle while on the way to the school bus or while at the school bus stop waiting to board. One great way is to accompany your child to the bus and wait with him or her until the child has safely boarded. Of course that's not always possible and depending on the age of the child, may not be necessary.

 

One important thing is teaching your child to pay attention to the road and vehicles and making sure they understand that even though he or she may have the right-of-way while walking across the road in the designated walkway, some drivers simply don't pay attention so they must watch out for these drivers. Teach your child not to assume the drivers will stop when the bus turns on it's red flashers. The child should still be looking both ways before entering the roadway to cross over and board the bus. 

 

Another important safety precaution is making sure your child is as visisble as reasonably possible. Make sure your child or children are wearing high-visibility clothing. It's great today because so many clothing manufacturers are incorporating reflective tape into back packs, shoes and coats. It's become much more part of the fashion of today. Some shoes even light up brightly when walking, so that is a great way to make a driver aware of a pedestrian in the dark of the morning. Some schools find these shoes distracting and may not allow them, but bring up the safety aspect of the shoes if you wish your child to wear them.

 

Maybe because I have been involved in these types of tragic bus related accidents as a lawyer that I am extra cautious around school buses, and you should be too. It really take very little effort to be safer around school buses and children who are simply trying to get to school without injury or death. Extra safety precautions like keeping extra distance, going below the speed limit when you see his school bus. As I see the yellow flashing lights of the school bus I slow and stop, I do not wait for the red flashers to illuminate. I assume a child will be crossing the street even though I may see a gathering of children on the opposite side of the road where the school bus may be located.

 

A vehicle's driver must assume children are present and may dart out from behind and in front of the school bus or other obstacles along the road in the morning hours. Drivers should expect the child that is late for the school bus running across the road in front of traffic. As a driver of a motor vehicle you have a duty to keep a careful look out for pedestrians, including children on their way to catch their school bus.

 

A School Bus Crash

Now let's talk about when children are on the bus and the bus gets in a crash. Most often the impact or situation is not such that the children are severely injured during a bus crash, but however infrequently, a major bus accident can result in catastrophic injuries and death to many children.

 

This brings us to an active debate about school bus safety that has come up recently, "Should school buses have seat belts for the children?" The vast majority of school buses in America do not have seat belts. The federal government has not required it stating that large school buses have a different kind of safety restraint system within the design and that they work extremely well.

 

The protection given to the children through what is known as “compartmentalization” which means strong, small spaced seats with energy absorbing seat-backs.

 

In 2016 it was a Tennessee school bus crash where the bus went off the road, hit a pole and flipped over. In that school bus wreck, six children were killed. Single vehicle collisions where only the school bus is involved are determined to be commonly caused by driver error and negligence. These are preventable bus accidents as well. Bus drivers need to be properly screened and vetted to make sure there are no substance abuse or traffic safety violations. In addition, all bus drivers should receive proper bus operation training, policy and procedures. This can go a long way towards preventing bus accidents.

 

TruckAccidentLawyers-USA.com is a national law firm that has affiliations with the best vehicle personal-injury litigators across the country. Our network of top law firms have a proven track record of handling motor vehicle accident-injury cases. Some of the best lawyers we have are the following cities and states:

 

In Orlando, Florida we have perhaps the best lawyers in the country that are the most versed in both bus accidents and semi truck accident cases. Our lead attorney has recovered millions for victims of vehicle accident cases and the families of the victims in certain wrongful death cases. Our Orlando Florida attorneys are well-versed and know how to interrogate the safety director of a motor carrier ( semi truck owner company) on the federal regulations state regulations, safety requirements to build a strong case against their driver and company for their negligence in causing these crashes that involve tractor-trailers and buses. "Motor coach" is the proper word used in the large-vehicle community or RV's. We've been talking about school buses primarily, however, motor coaches/buses have been involved in many horrific crashes as well. Motor coaches, because of their size and because of the number of people they carry, are subject to special laws involving their drivers, the carrier (company that owns the bus or truck), and the maintenance of the vehicle to name a few.

 

Our national firm stands ready to help any family, any victim that has been injured by a negligent truck or bus driver. Time is of the essence has been my experience as these major corporations and their insurance companies send out their response teams to gather evidence to hurt victims case and defend themselves. We have our own investigative response teams that are activated immediately to prove their negligence. Please call for free advice we work no win no fee; there is never an attorney’s fee unless we are successful and get compensation for you or your family.