Our Florida bus accident attorneys will tell you that bus accidents may not be as common as car accidents, but they do happen too often in the State of Florida. The most devastating part of a bus accident is that a collision will not just affect the drivers, but can also injure or even kill any other passengers on the bus.
Negligence of the bus driver: In Florida, there are some counties (including Broward County) that are under scrutiny for letting negligent bus drivers off the hook after a crash, then not properly retraining them because it is too expensive. At times it can be the fault of the bus driver if they become distracted and have to make a sudden maneuver to avoid a collision – large buses are difficult to control in a situation like this. Bus drivers, including school bus drivers, are sometimes guilty of paying attention to phone calls, text messages and other things that distract them from the road and the safety of their passengers.
Negligence of another driver: A bus accident can also occur due to the negligence of a driver from another vehicle. We see it all the time on I-95, the Palmetto Expressway, 595 and several other Florida highways. There are cars recklessly changing lanes in order to not miss their exit. There are also cars cutting off vehicles so they can get to their destination faster. This endangers everyone on a bus that can easily lose control and even rollover due to their extremely high center of gravity.
Mechanical failure or malfunction: The companies and owners of these buses have a legal obligation to maintain them and make sure they are routinely serviced. These regular checkups are meant to avoid bus accidents, but sometimes when there is a malfunction with the steering or brakes that cause an accident, the bus company can be found negligent if they are not able to show the bus was adequately serviced.
Bus accidents are generally broken down into three categories. An attorney handling bus accidents should be familiar with these types of cases, the laws, and the regulations.
Commercial Bus Accident: A commercial bus (also called an intercity bus) is a transit service that takes passengers a significantly long distance. Unlike a transit bus that has frequent stops throughout, a transit service will generally have a starting point and a destination. This distance could be from city to city or state to state. Greyhound is one of the more popular commercial bus companies.
Transit Bus Accident: Transit buses (public buses) are the buses we see every day to and from work. Combine all of the going and stopping with cars trying to drive around the buses (as well as cutting them off) and it is no surprise these buses end up in accidents. Unfortunately, these buses tend to be involved in pedestrian accidents and fatalities.
School Bus Accident: This is the most common of bus accidents each year. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were 1,236 fatal school transportation-related crashes from 2001 to 2010.
If you or a loved one have been involved in a Florida bus accident, you need to call the bus accident lawyers at MADALON LAW for a free consultation and start getting answers to your questions today.
Florida Injury Attorney Blog – Bus Accidents
Most people are not aware of how the law works, the rights they have and the amount of compensation they can be entitled to after they have been injured in an accident that was the result of another party’s negligence. The obstacles and confusion that follow an accident and an injury can seem overwhelming.