How Safe Are School Busses?
School Bus Statistics
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), school buses are the safest way to get kids to and from school. The NHTSA says that, “students are about 50 times more likely to arrive at school alive if they take the bus than if they drive themselves or ride with friends, [and] your child is much safer riding the bus than being driven by you.”
This is partially because school busses are specifically designed to avoid crashes and prevent injury. The school bus seats are high, padded, packed tightly together and far from the ground. Statistically, these components keep students better protected than they would be if riding in a passenger vehicle.
School Bus Accidents
Yet accidents involving school buses still happen, and they are truly tragic. Earlier in September, 12 elementary school students were hospitalized after their school bus overturned on a North Texas highway just south of Dallas. The school bus, belonging to Waxahachie Independent School District, ended up on its side because the driver got distracted and lost control. Report say that something in the back of the bus distracted the driver, causing him to look away from the road. The bus crossed lanes before tipping, and fortunately there were no other vehicles on the road.
None of the children sustained life-threatening injuries, but one student suffered two broken ribs, a bruised kidney, and a bruised liver.
Twenty-five years ago, a school bus collided with a truck and plunged into a nearby pit. Nineteen students were killed in the accident and 64 were seriously injured. It was the purportedly the worst bus accident in Texas history. Hopefully a school bus accident of such a proportion will never happen again.
Dallas School Bus Accident Lawyer
If your child has been a victim of a serious injury involving a school bus, please call us. Robert Greening is the principal attorney at Greening Law, P.C. He has dedicated his 24 years of practice to the litigation of wrongful death and serious injury cases. If you have any questions, contact 972-934-8900