On April 5, 2017, a school bus carrying forty-four students from Beaumont’s Charlton-Pollard Elementary School was involved in a crash with a pickup truck and an eighteen-wheeler.
The crash occurred on U.S. 69 in Lumberton, Texas, about fifteen miles north of Beaumont. The Beaumont school district bus was returning from a field trip to Big Thicket National Preserve. It appears the bus, which was travelling southbound, struck the rear of the 18-wheeler, and then the pickup, before crossing into the northbound lanes and eventually coming to a stop in a ditch.
Twenty-three children and one adult were taken to Southeast Texas hospitals after the crash. One student was airlifted to a trauma hospital in Houston.
Investigations into the crash are ongoing, but it appears the bus driver may have been at fault. Two of the children on the bus told police that the bus driver may have fallen asleep.
We often entrust those we cherish most to the care of bus drivers and bus companies under the assumption that the bus companies have hired safe drivers and properly maintained the buses. Unfortunately, these assumptions are not always true.
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in a bus crash, it is important to find a skilled law firm with experience handling personal injury cases. The law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner is the oldest personal injury firm in Texas, and our attorneys are standing by to assist with your claim. Call us today at (713) 222-7211 or 713-222-7211 for your free consultation.