Bus accidents: A parent’s worst nightmare

Pennsylvania families often rely on school buses to shuttle children back and forth to school each day. When a child boards a school bus, his or her life is in the hands of the bus driver, and parents can only hope the driver will do everything possible to get a child to his or her destination safely. Most drivers do their best, but bad choices on the part of some bus drivers can directly contribute to bus accidents that cause injury and trauma to children. 

Recently, a Pennsylvania bus driver, who reportedly suffers from a chronic back condition, decided to take some of the medication she had been prescribed to ease the pain before beginning her daily route. She maintains she had never taken the medication while on the job before, though on this particular occasion she thought it would be ok. Unfortunately, the medication caused her to pass out behind the wheel, crashing the bus with nearly 30 children on board into a tree and a telephone pole. 

Many of the children on board suffered serious injuries, including head and leg injuries. All of the children on the bus were certainly frightened. Police sent the driver to have blood drawn, and when it was discovered that she had the opiate pain killer in her system, she was charged with DUI. The driver was very apologetic, and indicted that she did not feel strange prior to losing consciousness, but that did little to ease the fear and suffering of the children on the bus and their families. 

Bus accidents have the potential to injure a lot of people. When a person, especially a child, becomes the victim of a bus accident, families may want to seek monetary compensation through the civil justice system to help cover expenses such as medical bills, which can pile up quickly after an accident. Many people choose to seek assistance from an experienced attorney who knows what to do to get the process started and can provide effective representation at every stage of the claims process.