Bus Accidents

November 14, 2015

Students Injured in San Diego County School Bus Accident

Are children at risk of suffering a serious injury in a school bus accident? Do we need to consider the risks of traumatic brain injuries when we rely on school transportation? According to a recent report in the Times of San Diego, eight kids sustained injuries earlier this month while aboard a school bus that “made an abrupt stop.” The accident occurred close to Flinn Springs County Park in the later afternoon. At the time of the injuries, the bus had been carrying about 50 children. The California Highway Patrol indicated that many of those young students “reported hitting their heads as the vehicle lurched to a stop.”

Emergency responders ended up transporting eight of those kids to a local hospital for “precautionary exams.” Those medics evaluated numerous other children at the scene of the accident who complained of hitting their heads. What caused the accident and injuries? According to the California Highway Patrol, “the driver of the bus may have braked hard to avoid a collision.”

Deadly School Bus Accidents are Not the Norm

April 8, 2015

California Jury Rules on Fatal Bus Crash

by Walton Law Firm

Back in 2010, a deadly bus accident in Fresno resulted in the death of six people, including the bus driver and two passengers. According to a recent article in the Fresno Bee, a jury just decided in favor of Greyhound Lines, Inc. in a lawsuit related to the case, prompting the newspaper to report that, “this time, Goliath won.”

Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed By Victims’ Families

Sylvia Garay, Vanessa Gonzalez, and Stephanie Cordoba were among the victims killed in the deadly bus crash on Highway 99. The victims sustained fatal injuries “when a streaking bus plowed into” their SUV. Their families filed a wrongful death claim in Fresno County Superior Court, but the jury voted 10-2 in favor of Greyhound Lines, Inc. Reports indicate that the jury deliberated “less than three hours after a six-week trial, then left without speaking to attorneys in the case.”

May 2, 2014

School Bus Safety in California

by Walton Law Firm

School Bus Accident in Anaheim Hills Increases Safety Concerns

Are children safe when they board a school bus headed toward home after a long day in the classroom? With news of the deadly school bus crash involving a FedEx truck, it’s not surprising that parents would be more concerned about school bus safety. But a recent bus accident in the Anaheim Hills isn’t doing much to allay concerns.

According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the bus accident in the Anaheim Hills left six people injured. The school bus had been carrying a total of 12 people, including the driver and 11 middle-school students, from an after-school activity at El Rancho Charter School. Residents of the Anaheim Hills could hear students screaming for help just moments after the accident, and according to the news story, many “Good Samaritans rushed to free them from the wrecked vehicle.”

April 25, 2014

School Bus Accident Cases

by Walton Law Firm

It seems there has been a rash of school bus accidents in Southern California lately. Some have been small, causing only property damage, and others have been devastating, claiming lives or causing serious injury, like the one in Orange County this week.

Parents of children involved in these accidents often don’t know where to turn for answers after an injury to a child in one of these cases. In most cases, they are happy with the school their child attends, and sometimes even know and like the driver of the bus. Suing the school district is often not the first impulse.

As a law firm that has represented victims of bus accidents such as these, we thought it might be helpful do address some of the regulations that cover school buses, and the liability that arises from these accidents.