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Car Vs. School Bus Accidents

Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyers For School Bus Accidents

Over 20 million children are driven to and from school every day by a school bus. Parents trust that these school buses will safely transport their children. However, many of these buses are poorly maintained, lack seat belts and are driven by poorly trained and overworked drivers. As a result, over 10,000 children are injured every year in school bus accidents.

Many injuries occur when children are riding on the school bus; however, many injuries occur when getting on and off the bus. In fact, a high percentage of child school fatalities occur when they are entering or exiting the bus vs. riding on the bus. These fatal accidents occur primarily because negligent motorists ignore laws such as the one making it illegal to pass when a school bus’s red lights are flashing and its stop sign is out. This reckless disregard for the laws and children’s safety results in an accident when a motorist fails to stop as a bus is picking up or dropping off students.

Cause Of School Bus Accidents

Injuries or deaths occurring while a passenger is in or around a school bus or bus stop can be caused by one or a combination of the below factors:

  • Distracted or inattentive motorists
  • Inexperienced or poorly trained bus drivers
  • Failure to maintain brakes, lights, mechanized side-mounted stop sign, reflectors and other safety equipment
  • School bus driver negligence
  • Negligent location of a bus stop near a busy street and other dangerous intersections

Even if a driver obeys the blinking school bus lights and mechanical stop sign, the driver still needs to use extreme caution after the lights stop blinking and the stop sign is deactivated, as children may still be nearby.

Proving liability for a school bus or bus stop injury case can be difficult, especially when the school district attempts to shift blame away from itself and its drivers. For this reason, commences every case by thoroughly investigating both the facts and the law to hold those who caused the accident responsible.

Contact Massachusetts Bus Accident Lawyers At

If your child has been injured or killed in a school bus or bus stop accident, you should contact as soon as possible. Let us assist you during this difficult time. Call us at 508-762-4334 for your free initial consultation or contact us. For your convenience, home and hospital visits are available upon request.