A Washington couple is lucky to be alive following a serious and deadly bus accident. According to reports, the couple was driving home from a weekend away when a FedEx truck drove across the highway’s median and hit the couple’s car. The truck then continued on and slammed into a coach bus carrying high school students.
The students were on their way to a college tour. As a result of the impact between the truck and the bus and explosion occurred. In the accident 30 people were injured and 10 people were killed. Five of the 10 people killed were high school students. Amazingly, the Washington couple did not suffer injuries in the accident.
Coach buses, city buses and school busses are all familiar forms of transportation for many Washington residents. People trust bus drivers to get them and their children to their destinations safely. However, bus accidents are common. And, like this accident, when bus accidents occur they have a high potential for many injuries and fatalities because of the number of people involved.
In cases of bus accidents, crash victims need to ensure that the bus company and the bus driver were doing everything they could to keep the passengers safe. This includes having the right licensures to operate a large bus, proper maintenance of the bus, following traffic rules and avoiding distractions. If any of these pieces are missing, the bus driver or bus company may have been negligent in causing the accident.
When the accident is the result of a negligent driver, bus accident victims and their families may have legal remedies. A personal injury suit, or a wrongful death suit, can help victims and their families receive some compensation for the damages that they have suffered as a result of the wreck.
Source: King 5 News, “Wash. couple survives CA bus crash that killed 10,” Alison Morrow, April 11, 2014