Each year around 130 people die in school-bus related accidents with most (around 85%) of these being occupants of the other car. This is because buses provide a good deal of protection when colliding with an average passenger vehicle.
However, each year, 17,000 people are sent to the emergency room from a bus crash. Of these, a great deal are injured and trauma car, further treatment and rehabilitation.
Two Students Injured in Fatal Bus Crash
A charter bus carrying students from Washington D.C. to Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky collided with a passenger car on AA Highway in Campbell County near the intersection with California Crossroads.
Kentucky State Police had already responded to reports that a wrong-way driver was narrowly missing cars as the traveled westbound on the highway. Witnesses say the bus driver tried to avoid the car, but it hit the bus head-on.
The 39-year-old driver died in the crash, and police don’t know why the man was driving the wrong way, and the accident is still under investigation.
Common Bus Crash Injuries
Most school buses don’t have seatbelts, primarily because statistically bus crashes are rare and injuries are minor. However, when there are injuries, there are certain types that happen because of the dynamics of a bus crash.
The injuries that the bus occupants sustain are from being thrown around inside the bus and hitting objects in their path. This leads to certain types of injuries, some of which are:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Broken Facial Bones
- Damage to Teeth
- Broken Wrists
- Fractured/Displaced Ribs
- Broken Legs
Bus Crash Liability
As in all auto accidents, the driver who is at fault had to bear the financial responsibility for all injuries and financial losses. However, sometimes there could be a percentage of liability for each driver, and if some of the responsibility is on the bus driver, then the injured victim could make a claim against the school, whether public or private.
Schools usually have significantly more coverage than the average passenger driver, so if there is some shared responsibility, then the school is able to pay their share.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney Today
Accident victims often wonder if they need an attorney, and the answer is almost always yes. The insurance company agents have years of experience and are good at their job which is to pay you as little as possible or nothing at all. You need someone just as experienced to help you level the field.
Talk to a Louisville Personal Injury Attorney you can trust to be on your side and get you what is yours under the law. The attorneys at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, have that knowledge and a combined 100 years’ experience in helping clients get the results they deserve. To discuss your case, call Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC today, at (800) 937-8443 or click here to contact them online.
