bus accidents

Bus Drivers and Safety Responsibility in Georgia

January 7, 2022 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

Intercity and municipal bus travel has increased significantly over the past 10 years. To accommodate more passengers, buses have also become larger over the past several years. Even experienced drivers have a hard time controlling such vehicles. Safe operation is even harder because, in most cases, drivers have multiple safety responsibilities. More on that below.

As passenger travel and vehicle size increase, the potential for serious injury increases, as well. Bus crash and other large vehicle injuries are often complex, usually because the victims live in different counties and even different states. So, only an experienced Marietta personal injury attorney should handle such claims. That is the best way, and often the only way, to ensure maximum compensation for your serious injuries.

Driver Safety

Georgia Supreme Court Revives Bus Accident Lawsuit

July 16, 2017 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

While personal injury cases arising from motor vehicle accidents tend to involve cars or trucks, it is important not to overlook other kinds of vehicles such as buses. For instance, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last December that there were “more than 700 accidents” involving school buses in Metro Atlanta during 2016–a rate of nearly two per day. These accidents resulted in over 300 injuries to students and teachers.

Croy v. Whitfield County

Bus operators, including school districts and public transit agencies, can be held liable for damages when driver negligence leads to passenger injury. Personal injury lawsuits against public agencies in Georgia are often complicated by additional notification requirements. Since the State of Georgia and its political subdivisions are normally immune from personal injury claims, plaintiffs must strictly comply with these requirements just to have their cases heard.

Federal Regulators Not Liable for Fatal Bus Crash

May 31, 2016 | Benjamin S. Persons, IV

In May 2011, a bus traveling from Charlotte, North Carolina to New York City swerved off Interstate 85 approximately 30 miles north of Richmond, Virginia. The bus hit an embankment and overturned. Consequently, four passengers died and several dozen more were hospitalized with injuries.

The bus company was a discount operator with a long history of accidents due to unsafe driver behavior. According to news reports at the time, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration cited the operator “for 17 unsafe-driving violations” in the two years prior to the fatal Virginia accident. The FMCSA shut down the operator immediately after the accident.

Chhetri v. United States