School Bus Accidents: What Parents and Students Need to Know
The big yellow school buses are a ubiquitous site on roadways throughout the United States, and millions of students arrive to and from school via bus every single day. While most students arrive safely when riding a bus, accidents can happen and can have devastating consequences. Accidents involving school buses often take students by surprise, cause catastrophic injuries or fatalities. Ask any Tennessee bus accident lawyer and they’ll tell you such accidents often involve somebody else’s negligent or careless behavior.
What are common types of school bus accidents?
School bus accidents happen fast and can be caused by a variety of different factors. Chances are you never believed your child would be injured while on the way to school, after school, or while on a field trip to a museum or historical site. Chances are, too, that the accident might have been preventable.
When your child has been involved in a bus accident, it’s important to know how and why the accident occurred. Common causes of school bus accidents include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Child is run over by a school bus
- Driver – either bus driver or driver of another vehicle – is under influence of alcohol or drugs
- Driver fails to check bus for children at end of route
- Sexual abuse or assault by an adult or another student
- Child injured after being dropped off at wrong bus stop
- Transportation companies fail to inspect and maintain buses
- Transportation companies fail to screen or train bus drivers
- Another car or truck crashes into the bus
Can a lawyer help after a school bus accident?
It can be hard knowing what to do after your child has been involved in a bus accident. You likely want to focus on your child’s recovery. But this recovery can become incredibly complicated due to a number of factors.
Your child may never be the same due to his or her injuries. The accident might result in thousands of dollars of medical bills and years of expensive physical therapy. But the person who caused the accident may insist they’ve done nothing wrong. The negligent party’s insurance company might offer you a settlement that barely begins to cover the long-term cost of your child’s injuries.
Just because they’ve made the offer doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Bus drivers, school districts and bus companies all share the legal obligation to keep your children safe. An attorney can help hold negligent drivers and bus companies accountable for their actions. You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, cost of future care, and other accident-related expenses. A lawyer handling school bus accident cases can perform a thorough investigation of the bus accident to determine who should be held liable and fight for the money you and your child need – and deserve – to get back on track.