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Auto & Vehicle Accidents

• Vehicle Malfunction Leads to Fatal Accident in Missouri; No Passengers were Wearing Seat Belts

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School Bus Accidents: Injury Statistics

There are about 480,000 yellow school buses that provide transportation for our nation’s children. These buses make over 52 million trips daily getting children to and from school. Consider that there are an additional 5 million trips made each day because of extra curricular activity round trips. Travel by school bus is one of the safest modes of transportation in the world – nine times safer than any other passenger vehicles.

Accidents do happen, however, and the results can often be devastating. The tragic Liberty, Missouri school bus crash in 2005 resulting in catastrophic injuries and death serves as a vivid reminder of that. School bus accidents are not uncommon in Missouri and Kansas as well as the Kansas City metro area.

In fact, each year approximately 8,500 to 12,000 children sustain minor injuries (bumps, bruises, scrapes) because of school bus transportation. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculates that 350 to 475 children sustain major injuries such as broken bones, internal injuries, etc. Finally, there are approximately 6 children fatally injured while inside a school bus and 16 children fatally injured during the loading and unloading process every year.

Loading and Unloading
This is the most dangerous part of any child’s trip to or from school. The majority of injuries and even fatalities occur when children are embarking or disembarking from a school bus.

• Other Drivers Ignoring Bus Rules – Drivers of other vehicles have been known to illegally pass buses that are stopped for loading or unloading. Even with the aid of flashing lights, stop signs attached to the bus and even the bus position in the road, other drivers frequently do not want to wait and fail to yield to entering or exiting children.
• Unsafe Actions of Children – Sometimes it is the very people we are trying to protect that cause accidents during loading and unloading. Children may get distracted from safety rules and simply dart into the street when loading or unloading from the bus.
• Bus Driver Inattention – Unfortunately, the bus driver can also be at fault during this process. If he turns off the safety lights too quickly or loses track of where a child is located when outside of the bus accidents can happen.

Seat Belts vs. No Seat Belts
There is no question that seat belts save lives in automobile accidents, but what about school buses? The shear size of a school bus offers its passengers a great deal of protection when accidents occur. School bus seats are designed to protect children should they be thrown from their seat or even collide with the seat in front of them. Seat belts being added to current school bus design could, in some cases, increase the potential for injury as the seats may not be adequately secured to the floor to withstand an accident. Finally, there are no adequate measures for a bus driver to ensure all of the passengers are safely buckled throughout the driver’s route. On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, several states are requiring buses to have two-point and even three-point buckling systems installed in their school buses. Clearly, seatbelts save lives.

If you or a loved on has suffered an injury due to a school bus accident, you are likely to have some immediate and important questions. Answers to some of your most important questions are here on our website. For more information, you should also download our FREE book, “10 Essential Steps You Must Take To Protect Your Injury Claim, How You Can Escape The Personal Injury Trap, The Ultimate Guide To Accident Cases in Missouri and Kansas,” on our website.

At Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys, we have been representing victims of school bus accidents for more than 15 years. We understand that a serious medical injury can have devastating consequences and we are dedicated to thoroughly representing the victims of such injuries every step of the way. Contact the experienced lawyers at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys at (816) 471-5111 for a FREE consultation with no obligation.

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Auto & Vehicle Accidents

• Why are research and statistics that look at gender differences among drivers important? If I am hurt in an Independence, MO car accident, do the research and statistics matter?

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