Would seat belts have prevented deaths in fatal school bus crash?

If you want to start a debate, ask folks how they feel about seat belts on Texas school buses.  People tend to fall into two passionate camps: either they think seat belts are absolutely necessary on buses, or they think it is a terrible idea (this latter groups includes bus manufacturing companies, by the way!)

Well the idea of requiring seat belts on school buses is back is on Texas lawmakers’ minds after a terrible tragedy in Missouri recently.  Two school buses collided with a tractor trailer and a pickup truck, leading to the death of two young bus occupants.

As a result of the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has decided to examine whether or not seat belts would have saved the lives of the two young people who were killed.  At the same time, they note that there were contributing factors in the case, and if those factors were addressed going forward crashes could be avoided altogether.

In this situation, according to the state police report one bus was following the other.  The lead bus driver was “inattentive”, probably engaging in distracted driving behavior.  The bus driver traveling behind the lead bus was following too closely, which didn’t leave enough room to brake or perform evasive maneuvers to avoid a crash.

 Safety officials maintain that buses – especially the larger motorcoach style buses with big, plush seats – are designed to keep bus occupants safe in the event of a crash.  According to an NTSB official, "It's safer than traveling on foot. It's safer than traveling on a bicycle or in a parent's vehicle."

We can’t help but wonder how the parents of the individuals killed in this crash feel about the issue of safety belts.  We may see more changes to motorcoach / bus safety rules after the NTSB completes its review.

Are Houston Towing Guidelines leading to fatal tow truck wrecks?

After the late-night death of a Houston tow truck driver, some tow truck operators are speaking out about a rule that they claim puts lives at risk.

The accident happened around 1am, when two tow-truck drivers were rushing to a crash scene in northeast Houston.  The first tow truck, a Chevrolet owned by Zone 3 Collision, was headed east on Jensen when a Nissan 240SX changed lanes in front of the truck, causing it to sideswipe the car.

The accident caused the tow truck to veer off of the road and strike first a light pole then a sign pole.  As a result the truck flipped over, killing the driver. The driver’s name has not been released, but those who knew him say he had been driving tow trucks for over 20 years.  The incident is still under investigation, and no charges have yet been filed.

Why were the two tow trucks racing?  According to some, Houston guidelines state that only the first two wreckers on the scene of an accident will be paid.  This means that tow truck drivers have an incentive to race to the scene of an accident as fast as possible, to beat their competitors and get paid.

This intense competition for business has led some to believe that the city guidelines should be loosened, allowing for more wreckers to be compensated for arriving at a freeway accident.  However, this may not be realistic given current economic conditions.

There has to be a better answer.  Whatever city leaders decide, something should be done so that tow truck drivers are not rewarded for putting their lives – and the lives of innocent motorists – at risk.

Texas Bus Crash Lawyer: This is what a negligent bus case looks like

A bus company is in hot water with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (MFCSA) for violating several federal safety regulations.  The company, Tierra Santa Incorporated, a bus company owned by Mr. Cayetano Martinez, is facing $72,760 in fines due to findings from a fatal accident investigation.

As the owner, Mr. Martinez has been charged with 78 violations of 13 safety regulations.  Not only did Martinez actively try to avoid complying with federal rules, but he also used four different company names to evade previous orders from the FMCSA.

What kind of violations is Mr. Martinez facing because of his bus company operations?  Here are just a few – and they are doozies:

Driver requirement violations

• Violating alcohol testing requirements
• Violating controlled substance testing requirements
• Violating hours of service requirements
• Violating requirements for driver qualifications
• Violating requirements for vehicle inspections and maintenance

Federal violations

• Operating without the minimum insurance required by law
• Operating after being told by FMCSA to cease operations
• Operating without federal authority

What prompted these charges?  In March of this year six bus passengers were killed and another 16 were injured when one of Tierra Santa’s buses crashed in Phoenix, AZ.

The charges from the FMCSA are very serious, and indicate just how far unscrupulous bus owners and operators are willing to go to get around the very rules put in place to keep you and me safe.  If you or someone you love is hurt in a bus crash, don’t let a shady bus company get away with their negligence – get the help of a BOARD CERTIFIED Texas bus crash lawyer.

Bus Accident Lawyer: Greyhound crash in California kills six passengers

Texas Bus Crash Lawyer: Don’t settle too quickly after a bus crash

If you’ve been hurt in a Texas bus crash, you may very well receive a very quick settlement offer from the bus company.  This is a tactic that Greyhound is especially fond of.  They are counting on you needing their quick settlement money fast so you can pay for bills you may have accumulated because of your bus crash injuries.

Don’t fall for this trick.  Sometimes, the faster they offer you a settlement, the more your case is really worth.  Once you take that settlement money you are out of luck – that’s all you’re going to get.  However, if you can hold out and get a skilled Houston bus accident attorney on your side, you have a much better chance of seeing a real, fair settlement.

Unfortunately, bus companies like Greyhound continue to use this tactic BECAUSE IT WORKS.  Don’t be the guy or gal who falls for it.  Even if the money they’re offering you seems fair right now, you may not be thinking about future expenses for rehabilitation, additional medical appointments or tests, lost wages, and lost future earnings.

You want our advice?  Don’t say anything to the bus company after a crash.  Don’t give a recorded statement, don’t fill out any forms, don’t talk to anybody.  Anything you say or do can and will be used against you later.  Call the Houston law offices of Vujasinovic & Beckcom immediately, and let us take charge of your case and get you the compensation you deserve.

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Arizona Bus Accident Kills 6

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Texas Bus Crash Lawyer strongly urges caution before calling the Americanos "HOTLINE"

Bus driver who caused bus accident with Metro train in Houston is suspended

METRO Bus And METRO Light Rail Train Crash Into Each Other

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Spring ISD students injured in bus crash / Bus Accidents

Major Accident Involving School Bus and Cargo Truck

Sherman bus crash fallout: “Rubber stamp” bus inspections put all motorists at risk

The Texas Department of Public Safety has announced that three men from 5-Minute Inspections were arrested this month in relation to the Sherman bus crash tragedy that killed 17 people and injured 38 others.

The men, Cesar Hernandez, 27, Ernesto Bastard, 19, and Miguel Castillo, 49, were arrested on charges of tampering with a government document.  The charge, a second-degree felony, carries a punishment of up to 20 years in prison.

The company 5-Minute Inspections is being investigated under suspicion that it did not actually see all of the vehicles for which it issued inspection certificates.  According to DPS investigators, the company certified hundreds of vehicles a month.  The bus involved in the Sherman crash may have been one that was certified without being seen.

If the bus had been properly inspected, the unlawful tire retread and other problems that contributed to the crash may have been found before so many lives were lost.  The horror of this terrible tragedy is made worse by the fact that it could have been prevented if people had only been doing their jobs properly.

DPS has been criticized in the federal government’s investigation of the crash for failing to provide adequate oversight of the inspection and registration process for buses.  Changes to the way buses and other vehicles are inspected in Texas should change as a result of these findings – although it is too little too late for the victims and their families.

Driver crashes Greyhound bus on North Freeway, injures six passengers

Passengers aboard a Greyhound bus were shaken and unnerved after their driver lost control of the bus and crashed it into a concrete barrier.

The crash, which happened in the North Freeway HOV lane below a bridge near Shepherd, occurred not long after the Greyhound bus left the station.  According to police, the bus was headed north when the driver became confused about where he was supposed to go and headed back south in the HOV lane. 

When he took the exit for Shepherd the driver was, according to police, traveling too fast and subsequently lost control of the bus.  As a result the bus collided with a concrete barrier, scaring passengers who thought the bus was going to tip over.

Six passengers were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries which turned out to be mild.  The remaining passengers waited for another Greyhound bus to take them to their destination.

The passengers had every reason to fear for their lives.  If not operated and maintained properly, buses can be very dangerous vehicles.  Almost exactly a year ago a bus plunged off an I-75 overpass in Sherman when its driver lost control after a tire blew, killing seventeen people.

Investigations into the fatal Sherman bus crash revealed a number of troubling trends in the bus industry, which we summarized in a blog last month.

Victims of Sherman bus crash unhappy with recent findings

Exactly one year ago seventeen people were killed when a bus crashed off of a bridge on Highway 75 in Sherman.  The accident investigation revealed a number of troubling facts.

An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that the accident happened when one of the tires on the bus blew, causing the driver to lose control and plunge off the bridge.

It turns out that the blown tire had been retreaded.  Federal regulations prohibit retreaded tires from being used on steering axles of buses.  Sherman Police, however, believe that as a result of the NTSB investigation the tire was not the cause of the accident.

According to police, the force that blew the tire was external, not internal – it was not the tire that failed but the fact that the tire hit some debris in the road and failed.  The tire is only one part of the problem in this case, though.  Consider these other issues:

• The driver of the bus was driving with an expired medical certificate
• The owner of the charter bus company (Iguala BusMex) created the company a mere four days after his other bus company was shut down for unsafe driving practices
• The bus was operating with a temporary license plate

Subsequent studies have shown that it isn’t unusual for bus companies to avoid fines and compliance by closing down and reopening under a new name when shut down by the government.

Not surprisingly, the families of the victims want justice – but they’re still waiting for it.

Lawsuit filed in Victoria, Texas Bus Accident