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School Bus Accidents

Michael Agruss

Written and Reviewed by Michael Agruss

  • Managing Partner and Personal Injury Lawyer at Mike Agruss Law.
  • Over 20 years of experience in Personal Injury.
  • Over 8000+ consumer rights cases settled.
  • Graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: Juris Doctor, 2004.

School transportation-related accidents are defined as accidents which directly or indirectly involve a school bus or non-school bus vehicle which transports children to or from school and/or school-related activities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) collected ten years’ worth of data from 2004 to 2013, and in this timeframe 1,344 people (about 134 per year) were killed in school bus-related accidents. Bus occupants accounted for only 8% of fatalities, while 21% were non-occupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) and most (71%) were occupants of other vehicles involved in the accidents.

  • From 2004 to 2013, 327 school-age children lost their lives in school transportation-related accidents; 147 were occupants of other vehicles, 116 were pedestrians, 54 were school transportation occupants; 9 were bicyclists; and one was an “other” non-occupant.
  • The most dangerous times of day for school-age pedestrians were between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Forty-two of these children (36%) were between 8 and 13 years old.
  • More than two-thirds of school-age pedestrians who lost their lives were struck by a school transportation vehicle.
  • More than half of these fatal accidents (53%) involved impact to the front of the school transportation vehicle.
  • Common maneuvers which contributed to these accidents included passing/overtaking another vehicle, traffic light violations, dangerous lane-switching, and failure to stop.

When a school bus is involved in an accident, liability can be clear-cut or quite difficult to determine, especially if this transportation is contracted to a private bus company by the school or district. Schools which own their buses have a legal duty to protect their students from harm, but if a school contracts this service to a private company, the contract between the two must specify the company’s duties.
Some common federal and state standards required of both schools and private bus companies include:

  • Inspection of buses on at least a semi-annual basis
  • A “systematic preventive maintenance program” to keep buses in safe operating condition
  • Daily pre-trip inspections of buses and safety equipment by their drivers and written reports of any malfunctions which may risk the vehicle’s safe operation

If your child has been involved in a bus accident, contact 844 See Mike for a free consultation. We are a Chicago-based injury law firm representing individuals (and their families) who have suffered an injury in an accident. We will handle your case quickly and advise you every step of the way, and we will not hesitate to go to trial for you.

Lastly, 844 See Mike is not paid attorneys’ fees unless we win your case. Our no-fee promise is that simple. You have nothing to risk when you hire us – only the opportunity to seek justice.

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