Bus Accidents’ Category
With 25 Accident deaths, 2011 Has Been a Bad Year for Bus Safety
Friday, June 17th, 2011
The year 2011 has been a terrible year for bus safety with a total of six serious bus accidents already recorded. These accidents have ended with 25 deaths. Anne Ferro, chief of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration quoted those statistics as she spoke before a congressional hearing last week. Ferro was pushing for more funding for her agency in order to conduct more inspections and increase oversight over bus companies.
Ferro is specifically asking for more funding to increase the number of inspectors, so her agency can inspect every single bus in the long-distance industry at least once every...
Driver Fatigue is a Factor in Many Bus Accidents
Monday, June 6th, 2011
It’s not just truck driver fatigue that Houston bus accident lawyers should be concerned about, but also the risk to passengers from bus drivers fatigued at the wheel. An accident last week in Virginia that killed four people and injured dozens of others makes it clear that the federal administration needs to come down harder on companies that allow drivers to work long hours without a break. The driver involved in the Virginia accident told investigators that he had been tired at the wheel.
While truck drivers are required to take a 10-hour break between shifts, bus drivers are only...
FMCSA Proposes New Bus Safety Rules to Prevent Accidents
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced new rules aimed at reducing the risk of injuries and fatalities to bus passengers. As a Houston bus accident attorney, I believe Texas desperately needs stronger bus safety laws, because of the several serious and fatal accidents that have occurred here recently.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s new rules will strengthen standards for commercial driver’s licenses. Under the new rules, any person who wants to obtain a commercial driver’s license must first obtain a commercial driver's learner’s permit. The rule also creates a national standard for commercial driver’s licensing...
Driver’s Medical Condition Blamed for Texas Bus Accident
Tuesday, September 21st, 2010
Last week, a charter bus on its way from Dallas to Oklahoma City, hit a highway barrier just 2 miles north of Dallas. 18 passengers sustained injuries, and at least one of these persons was critically injured. Investigators are now looking at the medical condition of the driver as a possible factor in the accident.
Since the accident, there has been some confusion due to the fact that the driver speaks little English. Soon after the accident, investigators who did not speak Spanish were not able to completely understand what the driver was saying through sign language. They...
Utah Bus Accident Investigation Points at Driver Inattention, fatigue
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
Preliminary investigations into the Utah bus accident last week that killed three Japanese tourists, confirms a Houston bus accident lawyer's worst fears - fatigue and driver inattention are much bigger factors in commercial bus accidents than federal agencies have appreciated.
The bus was carrying a group of Japanese tourists when it flipped over on a Utah Highway. Several of the passengers were ejected from the bus, and three of them died. The National Transportation Safety Board has dispatched a team of investigators to the site. However, initial investigations seem to suggest that driver inattention or fatigue...
Metro’s Dismal Bus Safety Record
Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
The Chronicle recently analyzed Metros bus safety records over the past year, and found that Houston’s commuter bus system continues to place passengers, pedestrians and motorists at a high risk of accidents.
According to the Chronicle analysis,
In 2009, Metro buses were involved in a total of 1,029 accidents. That's approximately 3 accidents per day.
Hundreds of these accidents resulted in injuries to passengers, motorists and pedestrians, and resulted in property damage.
Most of these accidents were entirely preventable.
At least two of these accidents were high-profile crashes that occurred in 2010. One of these involved a Metro bus crashing into a...
Houston KPRC Local 2 Investigates Metro Bus Crashes
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
KPRC Local 2 Houston recently conducted an investigation of Metro bus accidents. The investigative reporter interviewed Houston personal injury lawyer Vuk Vujasinovic and his client, Stacie Jones, as part of the investigation. Ms. Jones was on one of the Metro trains that was involved in a crash with a Metro...
San Antonio Bus Accident Traced to Broken Drive Shaft
Monday, April 5th, 2010
Houston injury lawyers often see that poor maintenance and repairs of commercial vehicles often contribute to accidents. Investigators in a fatal bus accident near San Antonio earlier this month, now believe that a broken drive shaft caused the bus to lurch out of control and flip over.
The bus was traveling from San Antonio to the Mexican city of Matamoros. It was traveling on Interstate 37 when, according to survivors, it veered wildly out of control and flipped over. There are 42 passengers on board. Two persons were killed, and the rest were seriously injured. Many of these...
