Bus Accidents

Minor Injuries After Brooklyn Bus Accident

A city bus and a meals-on-wheels van made for a big mess when they collided in Brooklyn early this week. According to the Daily News, the van registered to the Jewish Association Servicing the Aging, ran a red light and hit a passenger car, forcing the bus to swerve and subsequently hit a building.

The accident happened on the corner of Avenue J and Ocean Ave. in Midwood just before 10 a.m. Monday morning. The bus was eastbound on Avenue J when it was forced to swerve to miss the van and collided with an apartment building. The van ended up on its side in the middle of the intersection.

Fortunately, no pedestrians were struck at the intersection and no residents of the apartment building were injured.

Twelve people, from the multiple vehicles, were transported to Kings County Hospital, Maimonides Hospital and Lutheran Medical Center with minor injuries according to police at the scene. Continue reading

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New developments in New York City bus accident that left 15 dead

On the one-year anniversary of the New York City bus crash that left 15 people dead and injured 18 others, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced that it will meet on June 5 to determine the probable cause of the crash. Although the NTSB investigation into the bus accident is still in its final stages, early speculation about alcohol or drug use by the bus driver as a possible cause for the tragedy appears to have been without merit.

In addition to the driver’s negative toxicology test results for drugs and alcohol, NTSB investigators have also found no mechanical problems that would have prevented the driver from safely operating the tour bus prior to or during the crash sequence. The list of potential causes board members will be evaluating at the June 5 meeting includes driver error, highway surface or design defects, non-mechanical vehicle factors and motor carrier oversight failures. Continue reading

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Bus driver acquitted for fatal New York bus accident

In a recent criminal trial, a 60-year-old Megabus driver was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide charges stemming from a 2010 New York bus accident that resulted in the deaths of four passengers.

Though he is not being held criminally responsible for these wrongful deaths, family members of the deceased victims have already filed civil lawsuits against the bus company, the bus driver and others who may have contributed to the fatal bus accident. Those lawsuits were delayed pending the outcome of the criminal trial. Continue reading

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Wrongful death lawsuit against bus company settled

The mother of a teenage boy who was struck and killed by a school bus can breathe a little easier now that she has settled a wrongful death lawsuit she brought against the largest bus company in the nation. That lawsuit was reportedly settled for $5 million.

The bus accident occurred in November of 2010. The 23-year-old school bus driver reportedly did not take necessary safety precautions, including inspecting the bus before driving. The school bus’s windows were covered with frost and she had little to no visibility from the inside of the bus to see her surroundings, making the situation very dangerous. Continue reading

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Seven Years After Bus Accident, Lawsuit Settled and Healing Continues

On January 29, 2005 a team bus carrying the women’s Windsor Wildcats basketball team was involved in a bus accident. Four people were killed and 18 survived. Now, five years later, the lawsuit has been settled though many of the survivors still struggle with the events of that day.

Their coach, his son, a teammate and her mother were all killed in the accident. Many of the young women were seriously injured. According to the Windsor Star, some are lucky to be alive after the bus accident. Continue reading

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Bus, truck crash en route to New York City

We have all heard the adage that “no news is good news.” This is especially true when it comes to bus accidents. When we cannot write about the damages caused to victims of an accident where they were a passenger on a mass transit vehicle, it is a good thing. Passenger injuries can change the lives of victims in an instance.

It is sad to have to report another bus accident that occurred with passengers en route to New York City. The bus was operated by Trans-Bridge and was carrying four passengers on Monday morning, Jan. 16, 2012 whose lives were about to change. Continue reading

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Senate joins attempt to pass bus safety bill after horrific accidents

A recent series of horrific bus accidents, including one in New York that killed 15 people and injured 18 others in March, 2011, has spurred some members of Congress to try to take action. It is an uphill battle, though, and the proposed bus safety legislation faces strong opposition.

A disproportionate number of fatalities are occurring in curbside tour buses, which pick up passengers on the street rather than in bus terminals. Curbside buses have a crash fatality rate that is seven times higher than that of traditional terminal-based buses. Continue reading

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Soldier who rescued New York bus accident victims receives honor

Over the summer the lives of several citizens were dramatically altered when they were involved in a New York bus accident. The crash was so severe that the bus burst into flames and could have ended the lives of many on board if it were not for a young soldier who risked his life to save the injured on board.

The soldier was honored this week for his selfless participation in the rescue of a number of passengers. The ceremony took place on Tuesday afternoon at a military post in New York – the same post the soldier had driven home from on the day of the crash. The man was honored with one of the highest military awards for a noncombat act of heroism, the Soldier’s Medal. Continue reading

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Congressional advocates of intercity bus safety try again

Recently, there have been several horrific bus accidents in New York. In March 2011, 15 people were killed and 18 injured when a chartered tour bus, traveling at high speed from a Connecticut casino to Manhattan’s Chinatown, overturned in the Bronx on Interstate 19. Some of the victims were thrown out of the bus while others were trapped inside and at least one was decapitated.

In July, two people were killed and 35 injured in a crash in upstate New York in a tour bus headed for Niagara Falls. In another upstate New York accident that month, a tour bus coming from Canada crashed into a tractor trailer, killing the truck driver and one bus passenger, and injuring 30 passengers. Continue reading

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New York bus driver fails to report accident while students onboard

A large number of fender benders do not result in injury. When a driver feels fine, it is completely up to them whether they will seek medical attention to determine any injury. When the driver is a school bus driver with passengers on board, there is a duty to make sure that the students are taken care of after even the smallest accident.

New York officials are investigating a school bus driver after he failed to report a bus accident that occurred while 21 students were onboard the vehicle. Not only did the students have to rely on the driver to bring them to school on time, but they also had to rely on the driver to keep them safe. Continue reading

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New York bus accident risk increases with interstate curbside operations

In our last post, we discussed the statistical conclusion — based on accident data and inspection violations – that curbside buses are the riskier option for interstate travelers in New York and across the country. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the fatal bus accident rate for curbside operators was 1.4 percent for the period between 2005 and this past March when the New York accident taking 15 lives occurred.

The 1.4 percent statistic may not seem like a particularly large number, but when compared to the 0.2 percent fatal accident rate for conventional bus operators the number seems a lot bigger. When you realize that it is your life that is being gambled, that fatality rate may seem even greater. But why is there such a discrepancy between traditional buses and curbside operations? Continue reading

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Cheap New York travel fares may save money but cost you your life

Money saving is on the minds of many New Yorkers these days as families find that the flow of money is not as swift as it may have been 10 years ago. Online sites and companies that offer deals on discount travel are becoming vastly popular when people still want to travel, but cannot do so at a high cost.

The curbside bus industry is one of those operations that offer incredibly low fares for interstate travel, but some safety experts say that it may cost you your life. According to a National Transportation Safety Board study, the curbside operations have a much higher fatal bus accident rate and violate a much larger number of safety violations. Continue reading

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