Two major bus crashes occurred within a four-day span in April, leaving two people dead and more than four dozen injured. One crash, near the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, occurred when the driver lost control of the vehicle and the bus struck a median, which caused it to overturn. The driver during this crash was also the driver in another incident in which a bus struck a person helping at an accident scene. The second major crash occurred when the driver lost control of the bus, which swerved off of a winding mountain road and hit a tree. Reports say that the tree was the only thing that kept the bus from tumbling down a ravine.
These two crashes come on the heels of two high-profile bus crashes that killed a total of 17 people, which prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to become more aggressive in dealing with motor coach operators deemed to be “immediate hazards.” FMCSA plans to dispatch more than 50 safety investigators throughout the country to inspect “high risk” carriers, most of them small charter operators.
According to federal safety records, there were 221 bus crashes resulting in 254 deaths in 2009, and 245 crashes killing 276 in 2010. Federal safety inspectors find that small charter bus companies account for most of the deadly crashes because they often operate on the fringe and evade thorough inspections.
Benny Agosto, Jr. is a partner at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner in Houston, Texas. For over 65 years, Abraham Watkins has successfully represented injured people and families who fall victim to catastrophes. Our attorneys have the knowledge, experience and resources necessary to obtain just compensation their clients. For more information, please contact the office of Benny Agosto, Jr. at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner, by letter at 800 Commerce Street, Houston, Texas 77002, or by phone at (713) 222-7211.