Federal Judge Shutters Bus Operator After Arizona Crash Kills Six

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Posted on 9th March 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

Federal authorities need to do a better job of regulating and screening bus operators, as evidenced by a recent bus crash in Arizona that killed six people and hurt 17 others. The bus’s owner had a long history of safety problems, and didn’t even have federal approval to transport passengers over state lines.

Officials didn’t waste much time getting the bus operator closed down shortly after the Arizona crash. In response to an emergency request, a federal judge this weekend ordered a bus company to cease interstate operations after one of its buses crashed Friday near Phoenix, killing six people and injuring 17 others. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bus8-2010mar08,0,7734207.story

In Los Angeles U.S. District Court Judge George King issued the order Saturday against the bus company, Tierra Santa Inc. of Van Nuys, Calif., and its owner, Cayetano Martinez. http://www.nj.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-37/1267995020155570.xml&storylist=new_topstories

The fatal bus crash is under investigation, but authorities wanted Tierra Santa shut down immediately. Martinez was operating his bus company illegally, and didn’t have federal authority for his vehicles to cross state lines.

“It is absolutely essential that unsafe carriers like this one be taken off the road,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in prepared statement Sunday. “Safety is our No. 1 priority at the Department of Transportation and we will not rest until this accident has been fully investigated.” http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/03/07/20100307busaccident-folo0307.html

As The Los Angeles Times succinctly put it, Tierra Santa “had skirted government regulations, amassed a poor safety record and was operating off the books.”

The bus has been traveling from central Mexico to California when it rear-ended a pickup truck on Interstate 10 some 30 miles south of Phoenix and rolled off the road. The six people who perished still haven’t all been identified.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Six Killed in Arizona Bus Crash

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Posted on 6th March 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Six people died and at least another 15 were injured in a bus crash Friday south of Phoenix on Interstate 10. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gsrQaif_q-IKZ-3YXTxzG5PyjIZwD9E8I8AG0

The charter bus struck another vehicle and rolled over on the highway, ejecting several passengers. Four women and two men were killed in the accident.

The eight of the injured were treated at Maricopa Medical Center for injuries such as bleeding of the brain, broken spines, broken legs, broken ribs and broken pelvises. http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/03/05/20100305phoenix-bus-crash-patients-injuries-abrk05-ON.html

The bus had left from Zacatecas, Mexico, stopped at El Paso, Texas, and was in transit to Los Angeles. http://www.azcentral.com/community/pinal/articles/2010/03/05/20100305phoenix-bus-crash-kills-6.html

The Arizona Republic reported that the bus, owned by Tierra Santa Tours, had $5 million in insurance policies that were cancelled in July and November.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Bus’s Dive Into Reservoir Kills 19 Passengers in China

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Posted on 3rd March 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Nineteen people died in China when their bus landed in a reservoir in the central Henan province.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jP_Xer2aiSWQj4teMfeHGd_FdaHwD9E71O0G1

The bus reportedly went off a slippery road on Sunday and fell into a reservoir in Zhengzhou, the capital of the Henan province. In addition to the 19 dead, seven were injured.

China has a lot of road accidents, due to overloaded vehicle, unsafe roads and bad drivers.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Connecticut Weighs Seat-Belt Law For School Buses

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Posted on 2nd March 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Legislators in Connecticut are deciding whether to make seat belts mandatory on public school buses in the state, according to the Hartford Courant.
http://www.courant.com/news/politics/hc-ct-seatbelts-buses-0229.artmar01,0,1841006.story

The call for the law was prompted by that Jan. 9 death of a Rocky Hill youth, Vikas Parikh, 16, who died in a school buss accident on I-84. His demise was the spark that led Rep. Antonio Guerrera (D-Rocky), who is co-chairman of the legislature’s transportation committee, to introduce the seat-law bill.

That bill mandates that school buses have lap-and-shoulder belts, but not lap belts. Connecticut lawmakers have tried to past similar legislation 23 times before, with no success, according to the Courant.

Those who are against the bus-seat law argue that it’s unnecessary, because bus seats have enough padding to protect students. Installing the belts is also pricey, critics argue.

Some towns in the Nutmeg state have had seat belts in their school buses for some time, including Danbury, Cromwell, Wilton and Reading.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Two Women In Bus Crash Win $7.5 Million From NYC Transit

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Posted on 1st March 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Sometimes, it is actually best to just settle, as New York City Transit found out last week. That’s when a jury awarded two Brooklyn women who were hurt in a bus accident $7.5 million in damages from the transit authority, according to the New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/02/28/2010-02-28_bus_crash_vics_win_75m_in_transit_suit.html

The transit authority plans to appeal the verdict that was rendered in favor of Brenda Whaley and Amanda Wade, who were awarded $7.25 million and $250,000, respectively.

The two women were driving in a car in Brooklyn in 2005 when a city transit bus ran a red light and struck their vehicle. The financially ailing transit authority had a chance to settle the case for $3 million, but decided not to.

The two victims then filed suit, and won the multi-million dollar award.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Wisconsin School Bus Accident Injures Two Students, Parent

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Posted on 26th February 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Two students and a parent were hurt Wednesday when a Pulaski school bus backed into a car in Green Valley, Wis.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20100225/GPG0101/2250637/1207/GPG01/Update–Pulaski-bus-driver-off-job-after-2-students-hurt-in-crash

The school bus driver, a veteran driver for more than 30 years, was pulled off the job pending an investigation by the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The bus was backing out of a driveway when it hit a car on Hintz Road. That car’s passengers were a mother and her children, two students from Fairview Elementary School. The mother and one of the children were hurt, as one of the students on the bus. That bus passenger was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Two Dead In Florida Tourist Bus Accident

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Posted on 26th February 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Two people were killed, and dozens were injured, in a crash Monday involving a tourist bus in Florida.


The bus, which was transporting a group of elder hostel visitors, was struck by a car that turned in front of it north of Lake Placid. The tourists were part of a South Florida Community College program.

In the crash on U.S. 27 passengers were thrown from the bus and were thrown around the inside of the vehicle. As we said in our last blog:

Bus accidents are a perfect storm for brain injury because none of the safety devices which have made cars safer are typically found on buses. Buses usually have no seatbelts (even if they do they are almost only lap belts) and no airbags. Further, buses are exempt from other safety mandates which apply to cars.


For more on the process of brain injury and the necessary interventions to properly avoid a worse result, see http://subtlebraininjury.com

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Dixie State Baseball Teams Gets Minor Injuries in Crash

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Posted on 22nd February 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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In a classic irony, we are concerned today that student athletes injured in a bus crash get the same brain injury triage they would likely get now if injured on a ball diamond. Five Dixie State College students sustained minor injuries Sunday when their bus hit a snow-plowing truck in Colorado City, Ariz.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700011082/Injuries-in-baseball-team-bus-crash.html

The school’s Red Storm baseball team was on the bus on Arizona state highway 389 at about 5:15 a.m. when the crash took place.

The bus had been following the snow plow, but that truck stopped unexpectedly when it tried to avoid hitting a car that has spun out of control off the road. The right side of the bus hit the back of the truck.

The five team members were taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George and released.

Bus accidents are a perfect storm for brain injury because none of the safety devices which have made cars safer are typically found on buses. Buses usually have no seatbelts (even if they do they are almost only lap belts) and no airbags. Further, buses are exempt from other safety mandates which apply to cars. It is the period in the 72 hours after the wreck that athletes would be getting seen if there was a sport concussion, that they must be evaluated now to rule out brain injury. We hope someone on the athletic staff at Dixie State makes that connection.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

Bus Driver Who Sparked Cellphone-Ban Debate Is Involved In Second Fatal AccidentBus Driver Who Sparked Cellphone-Ban Debate Is Involved In Second Fata

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Posted on 20th February 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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Some people never learn from their mistakes, and the innocent suffer. The bus driver who sparked a national debate on motorists using cellphones after a 1999 accident which killed a 2-year-old girl has been involved in another fatal crash.

On Wednesday Frederick Poust III, 38, of Schwenksville, Pa., was driving a school bus in Montgomery County about 30 miles from Philadelphia when he hit a Honda Civic. Poust allegedly turned in front of the Civic, killing passenger Richard Taylor, 27, of Gilbertsville, Pa., and hospitalizing its driver, Freddy Carroll, 41, of Perkiomenville, Pa.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/84762257.html

Five students on the bus suffered minor injuries. Police are still investigating Wednesday’s crash, and that probe will determine if criminal charges are filed against Poust.

Poust was thrust into the national media spotlight in 1999 when he ran a stop sign, while calling his girlfriend on his cellphone, and hit another vehicle in Hilltown Township, Pa. The young girl Morgan Lee Pena was killed in the accident.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-school-bus-crash-fatal,0,6176842.story

Morgan’s family became advocates for laws barring the use of cellphones while driving, sparking a debate over the issue. The family was even on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to lobby for their cause.

The family also sued Poust and his employer, Delaware Valley College, and a confidential settlement was reached. The Pena family reportedly received more than $200,000.

Poust’s current employer is Student Transportation of America, based in Wall Township, N.J. The company said it knew he had an accident in 1999, but that criminal and vehicle records had not provided any details on the incident.

Back in 1999 Poust was also sued by a man whose car he hit in the rear, totaling it. That case was settled.

The claim against the bus company is called “negligent entrustment.” Before you hire someone and allow them to drive a vehicle controlled by you, you have a duty to learn the kind of things a google search would have learned about Poust. That you would not do even that minimum when the safety of children is a stake, is outrageous.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

More than 20 Wedding Guests Killed In Bus Accident in India

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Posted on 18th February 2010 by gjohnson in Uncategorized

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More than 20 people on their way to a wedding were killed Wednesday when their bus fell into a river in India.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/02/17/Bus-crash-in-India-kills-22/UPI-18901266410484/

The accident took place in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state, and killed an estimated 21 or 22 people, according to several press reports. Another 30 people from the bus were hurt during the incident n the village of Maharajpura.

The bus fell into the Pujab River after using a makeshift bridge to cross the river because the regular bridge was having construction done. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/02/17/india.bus/

Authorities were hunting for the bus’s driver, who fled from the scene of the accident.

This story is so reminiscent of the bus crash that opens the movie Dragonfly, with Kevin Costner. Such a horrible feeling to be in an out of control vehicle, falling off a cliff. Buses of course are far more dangerous in such a crash because the air bags and seat belts that protect against many serious injuries in automobiles don’t exist in buses. We pray that those who were hurt don’t get worse from brain injuries or other injuries that get lost in the shuffle of all of that tragedy.

Attorney Gordon Johnson
Chair Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group, American Association of Justice
g@gordonjohnson.com :: 800-992-9447 :: Attorney Gordon S. Johnson, Jr.

http://subtlebraininjury.com :: http://brainanatomyguide.com :: http://car-accident-rain.com :: http://tbilaw.com
http://waiting.com :: http://vestibulardisorder.com :: http://youtube.com/profile?user=braininjuryattorney

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