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Outrage Over Anna School Bus Crash

Jeff Rasansky — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:05:14 GMT

Parents were outraged after 16 students were injured in an Anna school bus crash that occurred around 4 p.m. yesterday. Superintendent Dr. Joe Wardell says that the district never received complaints about the driver of the bus, but some parents said they made several complaints BEFORE the crash ever occurred.

The bus was carrying 32 students when it hit a curb, careened through a parking lot and crashed into a telephone pole. 16 of the students were injured as a result.

According to some parents, the driver has been seen looking at notes while behind the wheel of the bus. One parent, Marloe Colombo, said she witnessed him doing just that on the same morning of the wreck. Colombo's duaghter was literally thrown out of the exit door of the bus during the crash.

The Anna Independent School District claims that they have not had prior complaints about this driver. The bus company, First Student, has a reputation for employing good drivers.

Anna police have not said whether the bus driver will be cited for the accident. However, that may not be enough. Several parents tried to notify the district of this driver's incompetence, and it seems their warnings fell on deaf ears. It sounds like the district was extremely negligent in this particular case, and, as a result, 16 kids were hurt--and could have been killed. This is simply not acceptable.

If someone you care about has been injured in an accident like this, please contact us. Simply fill out the free evaluation form to the right of the screen.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

North Texas Students Sprayed With Antifreeze from Defective Bus

Jeff Rasansky — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:03:45 GMT

Six middle school football players from North Texas have just been released from local hospitals after they were sprayed with antifreeze from a school bus on Thursday night after returning from a game in Gainesville.

The accident occurred after the bus made it back to their hometown in Sanger after a road game. The students were sprayed with antifreeze from a hose that busted lose during their ride home, according to a report from the Sanger Independent School District.

Four of the students were taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas and two went by ground ambulance to hospitals in Denton.

As of now, the manufacturer of the buses have been contacted and all three of them have been removed from service.

Bus accidents sure have been on the rise lately, haven't they? Granted, this accident hardly measures up to the fatal wrecks that have occurred earlier this year, but it makes you really question what's going on. Are bus manufacturers simply dropping the ball? Are they not held up to the same safety standards as other vehicles?

Here's an alarming fact: over 200 bus companies have been ordered off of Texas roads over the past two years. What on Earth is going on???

Leave me a comment and have your two cents!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Safety Was Lacking in Bus Crash that Killed 1, Injured 47 at the Border

Jeff Rasansky — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:10:52 GMT

An investigator made a statement on Tuesday that no U.S. or Texas safety officials were on duty when a bus crossed the border hours before a fatal accident. NTSB investigator Pete Kotowski said that the bus was cleared by customs when it came into the U.S. at a Laredo, Texas crossing.

Because no Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or Texas DPS inspectors were on duty, no safey inspection was undertaken, according to Kotowski.

Tomorrow there will be an NTSB investigative hearing on the crash.

The crash occurred in Victoria, Texas and ended in 1 death.. The bus was returning to Houston from Monterrey, Mexico, when the driver veered off the road and overcorrected, which caused the bus to flip on its side and collide with a guardrail.

NTSB regulator Debbie Hersman, who chaired the hearing, claimed that loopholes were used to put a bus that didn't meet federal standards on the road. According to Hersman, the operator of the bus registered it in two states, using false addresses and a third party to complete the paperwork.

The Bus was owned by Capricorn Bus Lines Inc. of Houston and leased to International Charter Services, also of Houston.

Capricorn was not supposed to be able to travel outside of Texas, but by leasing the bus to International Charter, the bus was able to make the trip to Mexico.

Investigators have found that there are big problems with these bus companies, including poor screening of the drivers.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Federal Government Cracking Down on Bus Companies

Jeff Rasansky — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:25:10 GMT

Federal officials have been paying particularly close attention to bus companies after the Sherman bus crash earlier this month. The Houston Chronicle reports that around 300 bus companies are currently operating in Texas.

A representative for the Texas Department of Transportation told the newspaper that two out of every five Texas charter bus companies have been ordered to cease operations in the last two years. Several of these companies are still operating under a different name.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been cracking down on bus companies that they find to be shady. The administration ordered Autobuses Rio Verde of Irving to cease operations because of its relationship to a questionable bus company responsible for two deadly accidents.

The FMSCA reported that Autobuses Rio Verde and Green River Buses had the same vehicles, drivers and management. Autobuses Rio Verde popped up only six weeks after Green River Buses was ordered to shut down.

The Sherman bus crash was the deadliest bus crash since 2005. The event has sparked a crackdown on businesses that are operating with sup-par satisfactory ratings.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Another Sherman Bus Accident Lawsuit Filed

Jeff Rasansky — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:28:16 GMT

Another lawsuit has been filed over the Sherman bus crash that killed 17 people. The complaint was filed by the estate of Cham Nguyen and alleges that negligence on the part of the owner and driver of the bus caused her death.

The accident was the nation’s deadliest since 2005. The bus was taking a group of Vietnamese Catholics to a religious event in Missouri when it blew an illegally treaded tire and slid off the road. In addition to the 17 deaths, 38 people were injured.

The driver of the bus, Barrett Wayne Broussard, had been previously cited by police three times since 2001 for motor vehicle violations—once for DWI and twice for speeding. Broussard also failed roadside inspections twice in the last year. Broussard is currently hospitalized and in critical condition after the wreck.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said that “grossly deficient vehicle maintenance” contributed to the accident. The agency ordered the company to cease operations, finding that they posed an “imminent hazard”. A second order issued to the owner said that his “activities in connection with motor carrier operations pose an ‘imminent hazard’ to the public.”

This is the second lawsuit that has resulted from the Sherman bus crash. Last week, another suit was filed by a man whose wife was injured in the crash.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Federal Government Takes Action Against Bus Company

Jeff Rasansky — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:32:43 GMT

A second bus owned by the company involved in last week’s deadly bus crash has been ordered out of service. Inspectors from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said the bus should be out of commission. The bus was decommissioned from Carthage, Missouri, where the same religious festival victims of Friday’s victims were to attend.

The crash has claimed the lives of 17 people and injured over 40 more. Six of the survivors are in critical condition right now. Reports are coming in that the bus blew an illegally treaded tire and then skidded off the highway and overturned.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said that “grossly deficient vehicle maintenance” is what contributed to the accident. The agency ordered the company that owned the buses to cease commercial operations due to the fact that they posed an “imminent hazard”. A second order was issued to the owner that his “activities in connection with the motor carrier operations pose an ‘imminent harard’ to the public”.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

More News about the Sherman Bus Accident

Jeff Rasansky — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:30:40 GMT

The bus company that owned the vehicle involved in last Friday’s crash in Sherman that killed 17 people was found to be “grossly deficient” in its vehicle maintenance according to federal authorities. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration declared the Houston-based company an “imminent hazard” to the public safety and has ordered the owner to cease all operations.

The owner of the company, Angel De La Torre, has not responded to interview requests and his attorney has thus far declined to comment. Federal officials say that his companies, Angel Tours and Iguala Busmex, violated rules in several ways, including using retreaded front tires.

Sherman police have stated that the blowout of one of the tires on the bus was a contributing factor to the accident. Mr. De La Torre is currently facing fines of up to $16,000 per day and a one-year prison sentence if he is caught continuing to operate his business.

Reports have identified the driver of the bus as Barrett Wayne Broussard, 52. He has previously been convicted of driving while intoxicated and he has had his driver’s license suspended temporarily as a result. Broussard is still in critical condition.

The death toll from the wreck is 17 at this time. We will keep you updated as more news develops.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Charter Bus Crash Toll Now Up to 14

Jeff Rasansky — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:59:57 GMT

The death toll of the Sherman bus disaster is now up to 14 people. For those who aren’t up to speed on what has happened:

A bus crashed in Sherman early this morning around 12:45 p.m. It skidded across a guard rail and then slid off of U.S. 75 on the other side of a bridge near a creek. Officials are not sure whether a blown out tire is the cause of the wreck.

Many of the injured were shuttled off to hospitals in Sherman and Dallas via helicopter and ambulance. Sherman fire Chief Jeff Jones said that 12 people died on the scene of the crash. At least six more people are hospitalized and in critical condition. Up to 40 other people were injured, several of which were ejected from the bus.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators are on the scene, but investigations into this incident could take up to 18 months.

We will keep you updated as we learn more about this tragic incident.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Rio Vista Teen Killed By Train

Jeff Rasansky — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:47:00 GMT

Katelyn Baker, 15, was killed after she drove her car around a railroad crossing bar and was hit by a train in Johnson County.

Baker had recently received a provisionary driver's license. and witnesses say she drove her car around the crossing arms and was hit by an Amtrak passenger train. None of the passengers on the train were injured.

It is always a tragedy when accidents like this occur. These sorts of accidents are avoidable and that is why it is important that drivers obey the rules of the road and never try to bypass or manipulate railroad crossing bars.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky

Bicycle Hits School Bus, Injures 11-Year-Old

Jeff Rasansky — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:36:04 GMT

On his way to school at West Intermediate in Cedar Hill Wednesday morning, an 11-year-old boy on his bike was hit by a school bus.

The boy, who came out of an alley only to collide with the back corner of a school bus near an intersection, was flown to Children's Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries to his neck and legs. The three high school students who were on the bus were not injured.

As pedestrians, it is important to be fully aware of our surroundings and places where we may unexpectedly encounter a vehicle. This young boy is lucky to have survived his crash. As drivers, especially of service vehicles like school buses, we must also be aware of pedestrians, especially during the hours when children are travelling to and from school. The bus driver did the right thing to immediately report the accident - and it is good to know the bus passengers are all okay.

Be careful out there, and if you suffer injuries in a pedestrian accident as a result of someone else's carelessness, contact a personal injury attorney today.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jeff Rasansky