San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer - Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus) - Most Commented

I-37 Bus Crash Kills 2, Injures Dozen

Beth Janicek — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:32:37 GMT

Tuesday morning an Americano USA bus bound for the border spun 180 degrees before sliding into a ditch end-first and falling over onto its passenger side in the median of Interstate 37 in Atascosa County, killing two people and injuring dozens of others.

The bus driver reported hearing a popping sound immediately before losing control of the bus. After an initial investigation, DPS officials believe that faulty equipment may have contributed to the crash and debris indicated that the vehicle’s drive shaft fell off. The bus underwent a full maintenance check on Monday before leaving San Antonio headed for Matamoros, Mexico, with two scheduled stops in the Rio Grande Valley.

FirstGroup spokesman Timothy Stokes said,

“Americanos USA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Greyhound Bus, which is a division of FirstGroup America.”

Stokes said that the driver, whose identity wasn’t disclosed, has been with the bus line since May 2009 and has a clean driving record.

According to statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Americanos USA has had a strong safety record, with below average bus inspection and driver infractions. Federal records show that Americanos buses have been involved in 10 crashes during the last 30 months, including one fatality and four that involved injuries.

It has been reported that the NTSB isn’t planning to investigate because its initial assessment turned up no new potential safety issues involving the company or crash. However, I think that further investigation into this massive equipment failure is necessary. Common carriers like this bus company need to be held to higher standard of care when they have so many lives relying on their safety.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Beth Janicek

VIA Bus Drivers Texting While Driving?

Beth Janicek — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:09:08 GMT

Everyone’s done it, but it doesn’t make it right. Especially for VIA bus driver’s on our city streets endangering our safety.

About a year ago, VIA put surveillance cameras on every bus. VIA has a strict policy of no cell phones while operating your VIA bus. Since the cameras were installed three VIA bus operators have been fired due to cell phone use.

Unfortunately for Betty Jo Hummel, last June a VIA driver in rush hour traffic on 410 never slowed down prior to hitting Ms. Hummel’s SUV.

"It was horrible," said Hummel. "It was the most horrific thing I've probably ever lived through."

She never saw the VIA bus coming and did not know that it was caught on tape until the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Brian Colliser showed it to her.

Adrian Perez, the driver of the VIA bus, was texting for at least six minutes right before he crashed into the back of her SUV.

Tips by passengers are what lead to the termination of most of these drivers using cell phones while operating a city vehicle.

If you see a VIA driver using their phone, call VIA and report them at 362-2020. Make sure you give them the bus number. I find it even more frustrating that the law limits the amount a person injured by a negligent VIA bus driver can recover. So if one of these drivers permanently injures someone from this dangerous behavior, the injured person will not be able to fully recover.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Beth Janicek

School Bus Hits Young Girl

Beth Janicek — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:58:42 GMT

A 6 year old girl was running late for school when tragedy struck. Her school bus was pulling out of her apartment complex when she tried to run after the bus hoping the bus driver would see her. The bus driver did not see her and ran her over. She is in critical condition at University Hospital and will celebrate her 7^th birthday on Sunday.

The bus driver was required to take a drug test following the accident and is on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. This year there have been five other bus crashes in Bexar County injuring a half dozen students and killing a 35 year old woman. Something needs to be done to ensure children’s safety. School districts should be required to teach bus safety prior to allowing children to ride. Some of the following safety tips could have prevented this bus accident:

· Always walk on the sidewalk to the bus stop; never run. If there is not a sidewalk, walk on the left facing traffic;

· Go to the bus stop about five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. While at the bus stop, wait quietly in a safe place well away from the road. Do not run and play while waiting for the bus.

For additional safety tips, see http://itre.ncsu.edu/ghsp/ncbussafety.html.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Beth Janicek