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.
Two Women In Bus Crash Win $7.5 Million From NYC Transit
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.
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.
Two Dead In Florida Tourist Bus Accident
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:
For more on the process of brain injury and the necessary interventions to properly avoid a worse result, see http://subtlebraininjury.com
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
Dixie State Baseball Teams Gets Minor Injuries in Crash
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.
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.
Two Men Killed in Head-On Crash With Country Singer Trace Adkins’ Tour Bus
Two Arkansas men were killed Saturday morning when their pickup truck crashed head-on with one of country music star Trace Adkins’ tour buses. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kuar/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1612064/Arkansas.Headlines/Two.Arkansas.men.die.in.crash.with.Trace.Adkins’.tour.bus
The fatal accident took place in Caddo Parish in Louisiana north of Shreveport, and Adkins was not aboard the bus. Justin Maxey, 21, of Fouke, Ark., and Jeffrey Ferguson Jr., 36, of Texarkana, Ark., died when they hit the bus after crossing the center line of U.S. 71.
Adkins, who has competed on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” was doing a show at the CenturyTel Center in Boosier City, La., and was at the venue when he was told about the fatal accident, according to a statement posted on his Web site Saturday.
http://traceadkins.com/news.php?title=trace_adkins_band_bus_involved_in_fatal_&more;=1&c;=1&tb;=1&pb;=1
Adkins went to the accident scene. The statement said that five members of Adkins’ band were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries and observation.
“This is a real tragedy,” Adkins said in a statement. “Two people have been killed and I don’t even know their names. So out of respect for their families, I prefer not to comment too much at this time.”
Adkins, who is from Sarepta, La., planned to do a scaled down acoustic set Saturday night at the show with Martina McBride at the CenturyTel Center.
He cancelled a performance Sunday night in Pensecola, Fla., but McBride and Sarah Buxton went on as scheduled.
The fatal accident took place in Caddo Parish in Louisiana north of Shreveport, and Adkins was not aboard the bus. Justin Maxey, 21, of Fouke, Ark., and Jeffrey Ferguson Jr., 36, of Texarkana, Ark., died when they hit the bus after crossing the center line of U.S. 71.
Adkins, who has competed on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” was doing a show at the CenturyTel Center in Boosier City, La., and was at the venue when he was told about the fatal accident, according to a statement posted on his Web site Saturday.
http://traceadkins.com/news.php?title=trace_adkins_band_bus_involved_in_fatal_&more;=1&c;=1&tb;=1&pb;=1
Adkins went to the accident scene. The statement said that five members of Adkins’ band were taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries and observation.
“This is a real tragedy,” Adkins said in a statement. “Two people have been killed and I don’t even know their names. So out of respect for their families, I prefer not to comment too much at this time.”
Adkins, who is from Sarepta, La., planned to do a scaled down acoustic set Saturday night at the show with Martina McBride at the CenturyTel Center.
He cancelled a performance Sunday night in Pensecola, Fla., but McBride and Sarah Buxton went on as scheduled.
Car doesn’t slow before Mich. rail crossing
The power of a train, the tragedy of young people killed, now all on video. It is ironic how much of our law regarding the automobile and safety revolve around trains and teen age driver wrecks. Today, we can pause and remember and say a prayer for safety.
Attorney Gordon Johnson
http://fishtail.tv
http://tbilaw.com
Date: 7/10/2009 2:32 PM
DAVID RUNK,Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP) — The car carrying five young people never slows as it approaches a rail crossing near Detroit, and drives right past a car that had been stopped there for several seconds — just before an Amtrak train rushes through the crossing.
Police released a copy of a surveillance video Friday that captured the crash a day earlier, in which the five people were killed after skirting the railroad gate about 20 miles west of Detroit. At the wheel, according to police and state records, was a 19-year-old man with a suspended license.
“There is no indication alcohol or anything else was involved other than bad judgment,” Canton Township police spokesman Sgt. Mark Gajeski said.
Dan Broughton of Woodhaven, a Detroit suburb, was driving, Gajeski said. State records show he had a number of traffic violations, including speeding and disobeying a stop sign in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park on Jan. 7. His failure to show a driver’s license April 1 in Woodhaven led a judge to suspend his license for one month — a suspension that began Wednesday.
Friends and family at Broughton’s home declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter on Friday.
Authorities released more information Friday on the victims and audio from a 911 report of the crash. Gajeski said he expected that the medical examiner’s office would run toxicology tests, which could take weeks, but police said there was no indication drugs played a factor.
Investigators said the crossing had a gate and flashing lights that were working when the car approached. Police said the train, which was carrying about 170 people, typically travels about 67 miles per hour at the site of the crash. It broadsided the black Ford Fusion and pushed it about a mile down the tracks.
Police said the train was traveling within the allowed speed limit.
“There is no one to be charged,” Gajeski said. “From witness statements and the video, the person just ran the gate.”
A day after the crash, memorials including a bouquet of white carnations were left at the crossing.
Canton Township police said the others killed were Sean Harris and Eddie Gross of Taylor and Terrence Harris of Stafford, Va. Family members say Sean was 19 and also lived in Detroit; Terrence was 21; and Gross was 17. The mother of 14-year-old Jessica Sadler said Thursday the girl was among those killed.
No one aboard the train was injured, Amtrak said.
Last year, 119 people died nationwide in Amtrak accidents, usually when trains struck vehicles or pedestrians at railroad crossings, according to figures from the Federal Railroad Administration. Eleven people died in train accidents of all types in Michigan in 2008, according to Federal Railroad Administration data.
___
Associated Press Writers David N. Goodman in Woodhaven, Ben Leubsdorf in Canton Township, Corey Williams in Detroit and David Eggert in Lansing contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Summary
Date: 7/10/2009 2:32 PM
Slug: BC-US–Train Hits Car,7th Ld-Writethru
Headline: Video: Car doesn’t slow before Mich. rail crossing
Source:
Byline: DAVID RUNK,Associated Press Writer
Copyright Holder: AP
Priority: r (4)
With Photo:
Dateline: DETROIT
Lead
Editors’ Note: Eds: UPDATES with police releasing additional information about victims, detail of memorial at scene of crash.
Word Count: 503
File Name (Transref): L0892
Editorial Type: Lead
AP Category: a
Format: bx
Edit Mode : Cancel
DETROIT (AP) — The car carrying five young people never slows as it approaches a rail crossing near Detroit, and drives right past a car that had been stopped there for several seconds — just before an Amtrak train rushes through the crossing. Police released a copy of a surveillance video Friday that captured the crash a day earlier, in which the five people were killed after skirting the railroad gate about 20 miles west of Detroit. At the wheel, according to police and state records, was a 19-year-old man with a suspended license. “There is no indication alcohol or anything else was involved other than bad judgment,” Canton Township police spokesman Sgt. Mark Gajeski said. Dan Broughton of Woodhaven, a Detroit suburb, was driving, Gajeski said. State records show he had a number of traffic violations, including speeding and disobeying a stop sign in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park on Jan. 7. His failure to show a driver’s license April 1 in Woodhaven led a judge to suspend his license for one month — a suspension that began Wednesday. Friends and family at Broughton’s home declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter on Friday. Authorities released more information Friday on the victims and audio from a 911 report of the crash. Gajeski said he expected that the medical examiner’s office would run toxicology tests, which could take weeks, but police said there was no indication drugs played a factor. Investigators said the crossing had a gate and flashing lights that were working when the car approached. Police said the train, which was carrying about 170 people, typically travels about 67 miles per hour at the site of the crash. It broadsided the black Ford Fusion and pushed it about a mile down the tracks. Police said the train was traveling within the allowed speed limit. “There is no one to be charged,” Gajeski said. “From witness statements and the video, the person just ran the gate.” A day after the crash, memorials including a bouquet of white carnations were left at the crossing. Canton Township police said the others killed were Sean Harris and Eddie Gross of Taylor and Terrence Harris of Stafford, Va. Family members say Sean was 19 and also lived in Detroit; Terrence was 21; and Gross was 17. The mother of 14-year-old Jessica Sadler said Thursday the girl was among those killed. No one aboard the train was injured, Amtrak said. Last year, 119 people died nationwide in Amtrak accidents, usually when trains struck vehicles or pedestrians at railroad crossings, according to figures from the Federal Railroad Administration. Eleven people died in train accidents of all types in Michigan in 2008, according to Federal Railroad Administration data. ___ Associated Press Writers David N. Goodman in Woodhaven, Ben Leubsdorf in Canton Township, Corey Williams in Detroit and David Eggert in Lansing contributed to this report.
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Attorney Gordon Johnson
http://fishtail.tv
http://tbilaw.com
Date: 7/10/2009 2:32 PM
DAVID RUNK,Associated Press Writer
DETROIT (AP) — The car carrying five young people never slows as it approaches a rail crossing near Detroit, and drives right past a car that had been stopped there for several seconds — just before an Amtrak train rushes through the crossing.
Police released a copy of a surveillance video Friday that captured the crash a day earlier, in which the five people were killed after skirting the railroad gate about 20 miles west of Detroit. At the wheel, according to police and state records, was a 19-year-old man with a suspended license.
“There is no indication alcohol or anything else was involved other than bad judgment,” Canton Township police spokesman Sgt. Mark Gajeski said.
Dan Broughton of Woodhaven, a Detroit suburb, was driving, Gajeski said. State records show he had a number of traffic violations, including speeding and disobeying a stop sign in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park on Jan. 7. His failure to show a driver’s license April 1 in Woodhaven led a judge to suspend his license for one month — a suspension that began Wednesday.
Friends and family at Broughton’s home declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter on Friday.
Authorities released more information Friday on the victims and audio from a 911 report of the crash. Gajeski said he expected that the medical examiner’s office would run toxicology tests, which could take weeks, but police said there was no indication drugs played a factor.
Investigators said the crossing had a gate and flashing lights that were working when the car approached. Police said the train, which was carrying about 170 people, typically travels about 67 miles per hour at the site of the crash. It broadsided the black Ford Fusion and pushed it about a mile down the tracks.
Police said the train was traveling within the allowed speed limit.
“There is no one to be charged,” Gajeski said. “From witness statements and the video, the person just ran the gate.”
A day after the crash, memorials including a bouquet of white carnations were left at the crossing.
Canton Township police said the others killed were Sean Harris and Eddie Gross of Taylor and Terrence Harris of Stafford, Va. Family members say Sean was 19 and also lived in Detroit; Terrence was 21; and Gross was 17. The mother of 14-year-old Jessica Sadler said Thursday the girl was among those killed.
No one aboard the train was injured, Amtrak said.
Last year, 119 people died nationwide in Amtrak accidents, usually when trains struck vehicles or pedestrians at railroad crossings, according to figures from the Federal Railroad Administration. Eleven people died in train accidents of all types in Michigan in 2008, according to Federal Railroad Administration data.
___
Associated Press Writers David N. Goodman in Woodhaven, Ben Leubsdorf in Canton Township, Corey Williams in Detroit and David Eggert in Lansing contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Summary
Date: 7/10/2009 2:32 PM
Slug: BC-US–Train Hits Car,7th Ld-Writethru
Headline: Video: Car doesn’t slow before Mich. rail crossing
Source:
Byline: DAVID RUNK,Associated Press Writer
Copyright Holder: AP
Priority: r (4)
With Photo:
Dateline: DETROIT
Lead
Editors’ Note: Eds: UPDATES with police releasing additional information about victims, detail of memorial at scene of crash.
Word Count: 503
File Name (Transref): L0892
Editorial Type: Lead
AP Category: a
Format: bx
Edit Mode : Cancel
DETROIT (AP) — The car carrying five young people never slows as it approaches a rail crossing near Detroit, and drives right past a car that had been stopped there for several seconds — just before an Amtrak train rushes through the crossing. Police released a copy of a surveillance video Friday that captured the crash a day earlier, in which the five people were killed after skirting the railroad gate about 20 miles west of Detroit. At the wheel, according to police and state records, was a 19-year-old man with a suspended license. “There is no indication alcohol or anything else was involved other than bad judgment,” Canton Township police spokesman Sgt. Mark Gajeski said. Dan Broughton of Woodhaven, a Detroit suburb, was driving, Gajeski said. State records show he had a number of traffic violations, including speeding and disobeying a stop sign in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park on Jan. 7. His failure to show a driver’s license April 1 in Woodhaven led a judge to suspend his license for one month — a suspension that began Wednesday. Friends and family at Broughton’s home declined to comment to an Associated Press reporter on Friday. Authorities released more information Friday on the victims and audio from a 911 report of the crash. Gajeski said he expected that the medical examiner’s office would run toxicology tests, which could take weeks, but police said there was no indication drugs played a factor. Investigators said the crossing had a gate and flashing lights that were working when the car approached. Police said the train, which was carrying about 170 people, typically travels about 67 miles per hour at the site of the crash. It broadsided the black Ford Fusion and pushed it about a mile down the tracks. Police said the train was traveling within the allowed speed limit. “There is no one to be charged,” Gajeski said. “From witness statements and the video, the person just ran the gate.” A day after the crash, memorials including a bouquet of white carnations were left at the crossing. Canton Township police said the others killed were Sean Harris and Eddie Gross of Taylor and Terrence Harris of Stafford, Va. Family members say Sean was 19 and also lived in Detroit; Terrence was 21; and Gross was 17. The mother of 14-year-old Jessica Sadler said Thursday the girl was among those killed. No one aboard the train was injured, Amtrak said. Last year, 119 people died nationwide in Amtrak accidents, usually when trains struck vehicles or pedestrians at railroad crossings, according to figures from the Federal Railroad Administration. Eleven people died in train accidents of all types in Michigan in 2008, according to Federal Railroad Administration data. ___ Associated Press Writers David N. Goodman in Woodhaven, Ben Leubsdorf in Canton Township, Corey Williams in Detroit and David Eggert in Lansing contributed to this report.
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Our Most Precious Cargo, Our Most Solemn Responsibility
You would probably have to search for a very long time to find anyone who would not agree that the most precious commodity transported on the nation’s highways are our children. They are among our most vulnerable passengers. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children from 2 to 14 years old.
What is more disturbing is the number of school bus crashes which occur in the United States.
safeguard4kids, proponents of seat belts for school buses, lists these NHTSA statistics:
Since different organisations have their own ways of reporting, tracking and calculating school bus accidents and injuries, it is difficult to know how many children are actually injured in school bus accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that school bus crash data is incomplete and that injuries cannot be reliably estimated.1 We do know, however, that lap-shoulder belts can make a significant impact on injury reduction.
* According to the April 2002 NHTSA Report to Congress, every day there are over 144 school bus accidents (26,000 per year) in America and more than 9,500 children are injured in school bus accidents each year.
* According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there were an estimated 51,100 school bus-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2001 to 2003, which averages to approximately 17,000 children injured in school bus accidents each year. This is the first study to describe nonfatal school bus–related injuries to U.S. children and teenagers treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments using a national sample. This study identified a much greater annual number of school bus–related injuries to children than reported previously.
* Data from the General Estimates System2 indicates that 13,000 people are injured annually in school bus crashes. Of those injured, 46 percent (5,980) were school bus occupants, 8 percent were school bus drivers, 38 percent were occupants of other vehicles, and fewer than 0.05 percent each were pedestrians, pedal cyclists and non-motorists.
Additionally:
According to 2005 data from NHTSA, an average of 21 school age children die in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year. Six of those deaths occur in school transportation vehicles. This number applies only to daily school routes and does not account for extracurricular activities that take place outside of normal school hours.
When I began posting headlines related to school bus incidents and accidents, I went very quickly from concern to shock at the number of school bus accidents occurring every day in this country. I have read follow up stories of drunk driving arrests among bus drivers and wondered why such stories do not elicit the sort of nationwide outrage that other media stories do. Not only are children the most precious cargo on the road, shouldn’t we trust those responsible for their safety to be beyond reproach character-wise?
What baffles me as well is reading over and over of school-buses being rear-ended by drivers who do not seem to pay much heed to those flashing lights or FREQUENT STOPS warnings, not to mention that a school bus should raise within in all of us a heightened sense of caution and care. I cannot even deliver an analogy as I can not imagine anything more fragile and valuable than our children.
There are plenty of stories of pickups and SUVs colliding with school buses in icy weather. Living in the midwest, I have myself observed the invincible driving attitudes of some of these drivers when road conditions are dangerous. They may think they can tackle an arctic storm without slowing down, but headlines say otherwise.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but it is a fact of life that certain times on week days, we can expect that school buses are out on the road. Before we get behind the wheel of our cars and stick the keys in the ignition, we should take a moment to confirm in our minds that there is precious cargo out on those roads and it is the responsibility of each and everyone of us to make sure that cargo is safely delivered to its destination.
Again and again, seat belt regulations for school buses fall through the cracks in state legislation. That means that the burden of the responsibility lies on the shoulders of all of us.
thelegaltimes.net staff article ©2009
What is more disturbing is the number of school bus crashes which occur in the United States.
safeguard4kids, proponents of seat belts for school buses, lists these NHTSA statistics:
Since different organisations have their own ways of reporting, tracking and calculating school bus accidents and injuries, it is difficult to know how many children are actually injured in school bus accidents. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that school bus crash data is incomplete and that injuries cannot be reliably estimated.1 We do know, however, that lap-shoulder belts can make a significant impact on injury reduction.
* According to the April 2002 NHTSA Report to Congress, every day there are over 144 school bus accidents (26,000 per year) in America and more than 9,500 children are injured in school bus accidents each year.
* According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), there were an estimated 51,100 school bus-related injuries treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2001 to 2003, which averages to approximately 17,000 children injured in school bus accidents each year. This is the first study to describe nonfatal school bus–related injuries to U.S. children and teenagers treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments using a national sample. This study identified a much greater annual number of school bus–related injuries to children than reported previously.
* Data from the General Estimates System2 indicates that 13,000 people are injured annually in school bus crashes. Of those injured, 46 percent (5,980) were school bus occupants, 8 percent were school bus drivers, 38 percent were occupants of other vehicles, and fewer than 0.05 percent each were pedestrians, pedal cyclists and non-motorists.
Additionally:
According to 2005 data from NHTSA, an average of 21 school age children die in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year. Six of those deaths occur in school transportation vehicles. This number applies only to daily school routes and does not account for extracurricular activities that take place outside of normal school hours.
When I began posting headlines related to school bus incidents and accidents, I went very quickly from concern to shock at the number of school bus accidents occurring every day in this country. I have read follow up stories of drunk driving arrests among bus drivers and wondered why such stories do not elicit the sort of nationwide outrage that other media stories do. Not only are children the most precious cargo on the road, shouldn’t we trust those responsible for their safety to be beyond reproach character-wise?
What baffles me as well is reading over and over of school-buses being rear-ended by drivers who do not seem to pay much heed to those flashing lights or FREQUENT STOPS warnings, not to mention that a school bus should raise within in all of us a heightened sense of caution and care. I cannot even deliver an analogy as I can not imagine anything more fragile and valuable than our children.
There are plenty of stories of pickups and SUVs colliding with school buses in icy weather. Living in the midwest, I have myself observed the invincible driving attitudes of some of these drivers when road conditions are dangerous. They may think they can tackle an arctic storm without slowing down, but headlines say otherwise.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but it is a fact of life that certain times on week days, we can expect that school buses are out on the road. Before we get behind the wheel of our cars and stick the keys in the ignition, we should take a moment to confirm in our minds that there is precious cargo out on those roads and it is the responsibility of each and everyone of us to make sure that cargo is safely delivered to its destination.
Again and again, seat belt regulations for school buses fall through the cracks in state legislation. That means that the burden of the responsibility lies on the shoulders of all of us.
thelegaltimes.net staff article ©2009
Police: Students, others hurt in NY bus crash
Date: 2/25/2009
MIDDLE ISLAND, N.Y. (AP) — Police in New York say 17 students and their driver were taken to hospitals after a school bus collided with a truck on Long Island. None of the injuries is considered serious.
The wreck occurred around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Middle Island. The bus was from the Longwood School District. School district officials and the bus company haven’t returned phone calls seeking comment.
Police say the students were involved in an after-school activity, but they are unsure what it was. The victims’ names have not been released.
The front end of the truck was badly damaged, and many of the bus’ windows were smashed. The truck driver also has been hospitalized.
A police officer was hit by a car while directing traffic surrounding the accident, suffering a serious but not life-threatening back injury. The car’s driver was not charged with any crime.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
MIDDLE ISLAND, N.Y. (AP) — Police in New York say 17 students and their driver were taken to hospitals after a school bus collided with a truck on Long Island. None of the injuries is considered serious.
The wreck occurred around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Middle Island. The bus was from the Longwood School District. School district officials and the bus company haven’t returned phone calls seeking comment.
Police say the students were involved in an after-school activity, but they are unsure what it was. The victims’ names have not been released.
The front end of the truck was badly damaged, and many of the bus’ windows were smashed. The truck driver also has been hospitalized.
A police officer was hit by a car while directing traffic surrounding the accident, suffering a serious but not life-threatening back injury. The car’s driver was not charged with any crime.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Investigators comb tour bus crash site for clues
Date: 2/1/2009
By FELICIA FONSECA and AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press Writers
DOLAN SPRINGS, Ariz. (AP) — Federal investigators on Sunday closely examined a stretch of rural Arizona highway near Hoover Dam looking for clues to the cause of a tour bus crash that killed seven Chinese tourists.
The six investigative team members would be measuring and photographing the site, evaluating the condition of the highway, and looking for skid marks and other clues, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said.
“These markings can be very important in telling the story of what happened,” Knudson said.
The bus crashed Friday on a straight stretch of U.S. 93, about 70 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
The tourists had left Las Vegas early Friday on a trip to the Grand Canyon, and were returning when the bus veered right and then left across the median, rolling at least once before resting across the southbound lanes of the highway.
Along with the seven people killed, 10 others were injured.
After inspecting the crash site, the investigators planned to head south to Kingman to evaluate the bus. That will include checking whether the wheels and brakes were in good working order and whether any mechanical malfunctions may have caused the accident, Knudson said.
He said the investigators also plan to interview the 48-year-old bus driver, who was in fair condition at a Las Vegas hospital, and the surviving passengers.
“The more people we talk with, the more information we’ll be able to get,” he said.
The investigation will take 12 to 18 months to complete, with the bulk of the work being conducted at the NTSB’s headquarters in Washington, Knudson said.
Representatives of the Arizona Department of Public Safety said they likely will have some preliminary results this week.
“Was it mechanical failure? Was it driver error?” DPS spokesman Lt. James Warriner said. “All that will come with looking at the vehicle and conducting interviews.”
Warriner said of the weather at the time of the wreck that it was a “nice, clear day.”
The DPS said the bus belonged to D.W. Tours of San Gabriel, Calif., which didn’t respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Five people remained hospitalized Sunday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Two were in critical condition.
Hospital spokesman Rick Plummer said the victims’ injuries ranged from spinal and head injuries to bone fractures. “It ran the whole gamut of injuries,” he said.
Volunteers from the Chinese community in Las Vegas crowded the hospital’s trauma unit Saturday, hoping to help with translation and taking food to the families of the injured.
Huang Xiaojian from the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles also was at the hospital but said she would not discuss details. “I am here to visit the patients,” she said.
Two others — an 18-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man in fair condition Sunday — were at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, according to hospital spokeswoman Ashlee Seymour. Another was still being treated at Kingman Regional Medical Center, hospital spokesman Ryan Kennedy said.
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Associated Press Writer Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
By FELICIA FONSECA and AMANDA LEE MYERS
Associated Press Writers
DOLAN SPRINGS, Ariz. (AP) — Federal investigators on Sunday closely examined a stretch of rural Arizona highway near Hoover Dam looking for clues to the cause of a tour bus crash that killed seven Chinese tourists.
The six investigative team members would be measuring and photographing the site, evaluating the condition of the highway, and looking for skid marks and other clues, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said.
“These markings can be very important in telling the story of what happened,” Knudson said.
The bus crashed Friday on a straight stretch of U.S. 93, about 70 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
The tourists had left Las Vegas early Friday on a trip to the Grand Canyon, and were returning when the bus veered right and then left across the median, rolling at least once before resting across the southbound lanes of the highway.
Along with the seven people killed, 10 others were injured.
After inspecting the crash site, the investigators planned to head south to Kingman to evaluate the bus. That will include checking whether the wheels and brakes were in good working order and whether any mechanical malfunctions may have caused the accident, Knudson said.
He said the investigators also plan to interview the 48-year-old bus driver, who was in fair condition at a Las Vegas hospital, and the surviving passengers.
“The more people we talk with, the more information we’ll be able to get,” he said.
The investigation will take 12 to 18 months to complete, with the bulk of the work being conducted at the NTSB’s headquarters in Washington, Knudson said.
Representatives of the Arizona Department of Public Safety said they likely will have some preliminary results this week.
“Was it mechanical failure? Was it driver error?” DPS spokesman Lt. James Warriner said. “All that will come with looking at the vehicle and conducting interviews.”
Warriner said of the weather at the time of the wreck that it was a “nice, clear day.”
The DPS said the bus belonged to D.W. Tours of San Gabriel, Calif., which didn’t respond to an e-mail from The Associated Press seeking comment.
Five people remained hospitalized Sunday at University Medical Center in Las Vegas. Two were in critical condition.
Hospital spokesman Rick Plummer said the victims’ injuries ranged from spinal and head injuries to bone fractures. “It ran the whole gamut of injuries,” he said.
Volunteers from the Chinese community in Las Vegas crowded the hospital’s trauma unit Saturday, hoping to help with translation and taking food to the families of the injured.
Huang Xiaojian from the Chinese consulate in Los Angeles also was at the hospital but said she would not discuss details. “I am here to visit the patients,” she said.
Two others — an 18-year-old woman and a 57-year-old man in fair condition Sunday — were at Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas, according to hospital spokeswoman Ashlee Seymour. Another was still being treated at Kingman Regional Medical Center, hospital spokesman Ryan Kennedy said.
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Associated Press Writer Kathleen Hennessey contributed to this report.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
Manslaughter charges filed in 2007 Ark. bus crash
Date: 11/19/2008
By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ A Texas bus driver in a crash last year that killed four people will face manslaughter charges because there isn’t enough evidence to charge him with negligent homicide.
Twenty-nine-year-old Felix Badillo Tapia was charged Wednesday with four counts of manslaughter in the November 2007 crash in Arkansas. They each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Felony negligent homicide charges would require proof of drug or alcohol intoxication. Prosecutor Fletcher Long says authorities did not conduct a field sobriety test on the suspect.
Tapia was driving a Tornado Bus Co. bus when it slammed into a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer. The crash killed three bus passengers and the pickup’s driver.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press Writer
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) _ A Texas bus driver in a crash last year that killed four people will face manslaughter charges because there isn’t enough evidence to charge him with negligent homicide.
Twenty-nine-year-old Felix Badillo Tapia was charged Wednesday with four counts of manslaughter in the November 2007 crash in Arkansas. They each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Felony negligent homicide charges would require proof of drug or alcohol intoxication. Prosecutor Fletcher Long says authorities did not conduct a field sobriety test on the suspect.
Tapia was driving a Tornado Bus Co. bus when it slammed into a pickup truck and a tractor-trailer. The crash killed three bus passengers and the pickup’s driver.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.