Pennsylvania Injury Lawyer Blog

As the third tour bus crash in upstate New York during the past three weeks, a bus transporting Polish sightseers on August 3 lost control and overturned on I-81. Officials said all aboard were injured (news reports vary, claiming the number of passengers between 28-30 people); there were no fatalities. Police cited dense rain and “speed too fast for the conditions” as the causes of the wreck, which took place on a rustic stretch of highway near Whitney Point, NY.

The bus was en route from Niagara Falls, NY, to Trenton, NJ, when it reportedly veered off I-81 southbound, plummeted down an 80-foot grass bank, and rolled onto its roof in a ravine. Among the injured, one woman was pinned beneath the bus for more than one hour, according to reports, before rescue workers could successfully dig her free. State police said 19 people injured in the wreck were cared for at three Binghamton-region hospitals. By Thursday, August 4, the day following the crash, all had been reportedly released. Officials said the state police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement unit took the bus to an undisclosed location to perform an examination of the vehicle and a further investigation into the cause of the accident.

According to the police, the bus was licensed to Princeton Holdings Inc. of Morrisville, PA, a company that also runs the Trenton-based Amerpol Tours. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration files show the company earned a “satisfactory” safety grade (the best of three levels) in October 2009. Over the past two years, data shows four inspections of the bus found small equipment issues, as well as a neglect in keeping data aimed at battling driver tiredness, but none warranted removal from service. No records indicate alcohol or substance abuse violations associated with the bus or company.

This crash also comes right on the heels of New York’s mass suspension of the operating licenses for eight bus companies that repeatedly violated safety regulations, prompted by a fatal Bronx tour bus accident in March that killed 15 passengers. If you or a family member has been involved in a PA tour bus accident, call the Pennsylvania bus accident lawyers at Anapol Schwartz at 1-866-735-2792 for a free consultation of your case.

A 26-year-old man was killed in Philadelphia recently after a SEPTA bus ran him over. According to a news report on Philly.com, the fatal pedestrian accident occurred on Knights Road at the Frankford Transportation Station. The man was trying to catch the bus when he stumbled and fell underneath the wheel of the Route 14 bus. He died from his injuries the next morning in a nearby hospital. It is unclear what caused the man to trip or why the bus driver failed to stop for the man before the accident occurred.

Bus accident litigation can become extremely complicated. Anyone who has suffered a loss in a Pennsylvania bus accident would be well-advised to seek legal guidance from a skilled attorney to understand the legal options available to them. Depending upon the cause of the crash, the liable parties in such a case could include an at-fault driver, an insurance company, or the company that owns the bus or a mass transit carrier.

There are a number of state laws that affect who may be held liable for a Pennsylvania bus accident, what types of damages may be covered by a claim and how long the victim has to pursue damages. It is crucial that anyone who has suffered a loss in a bus accident contact a lawyer before the statute of limitations runs out and they are unable to collect damages.

The experienced bus accident attorneys in Philadelphia at Anapol Schwartz help injured victims and the families of deceased victims get fair compensation for the losses they have suffered after a bus crash in Pennsylvania. Our reputed lawyers provide free consultations at 1-866-735-2792 to anyone who has suffered a loss in a serious injury accident. Call us today to find out how we can help.

WNEP-TV reports that a school bus caught on fire in Carroll Township without anyone onboard suffering injuries on Sunday morning, May 15. According to the article, the bus was on its way towards Gettysburg with 45 students and adults from the Jim Thorpe area school district in Carbon County when the incident occurred.

At about 10:19 a.m., the bus began to smoke and lose power. The driver pulled off to the side of the road on Route 15 near Dillsburg, south of Harrisburg, and was able to evacuate all of the occupants of the bus before it caught fire. No injuries were reported. When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, the bus was fully engulfed in flames. All of the students’ belongings onboard the bus were destroyed. The bus is owned by Kuhn Transportation in Schuylkill County, and the owner of the company says the fire chief told him a faulty fuel pump was the reason for the fire.

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) reports that about 2,210 bus or school bus fires were reported, on average, every year between 1999 and 2003 (the most recent years statistics are available). These fires caused an estimated yearly average of three fatalities and 30 people injured. Overall, during this time period, bus or school fires accounted for about one percent of the total reported vehicle fires, one percent of vehicle fire fatalities, and two percent of vehicle fire injuries. On average, every day six bus or school bus fires were reported during this time period.

Any time a bus fire results in passengers suffering injury or death, an investigation should be launched to determine the cause of the fire. If it is determined the fire resulted from a defective auto part or poor vehicle maintenance, the manufacturer and/or the bus company may be held liable. At Anapol Schwartz, our Philadelphia product liability attorneys have helped many victims receive compensation after they are injured by another person’s negligence. Call 1-866-735-2792 to learn more today.

On May 5, Ray LaHood, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, announced new measures the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is implementing to help guarantee that bus passengers are traveling as safely as possible.

Now, the DOT will require more rigorous testing standards for commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), as well as create new rules to reinforce the compliance of federal safety regulations by passenger carriers and their drivers. Additionally, along with state law enforcement, the FMCSA will conduct unannounced motorcoach inspections at popular travel destinations such as amusement parks, casinos, national parks, and sports event venues throughout the spring and summer seasons.

The FMCSA also announced a new rule which requires anyone who applies for a CDL to obtain a commercial driver’s learner’s permit (CLP) first. The new rule also makes it mandatory for all state licensing agencies to use a testing system for CDLs that meets the CDL knowledge and skill standards of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators criteria, as well as disallows the use of foreign language interpreters during testing to reduce the potential for fraud. Previously, testing for CDLs were not uniform across the U.S. and applicants for CDLs were not required to obtain a CLP before a CDL.

The DOT has also suggested several new additional policy proposals intended to set higher standards for passenger carrier safety, including a condition that would permit the DOT to have greater ability to take enforcement action against passenger carriers deemed to be unsafe “reincarnated” carriers by creating a federal standard that would help conclude whether a new carrier is actually the reincarnation of an older, unsafe carrier.

In addition, the DOT has proposed to make it mandatory for new motorcoach companies to go through a full safety audit before given operating authority by the DOT. The DOT has also proposed the revisal of a current law to guarantee that a driver’s CDL can be suspended or revoked following a drug or alcohol-related offense committed in a non-commercial vehicle. Lastly, the DOT has proposed that the penalty of $2,000 a day for passenger carriers that try to operate without authority from the DOT be increased to $25,000 a day.

The Philadelphia bus accident attorneys at Anapol Schwartz are committed to helping those who have suffered an injury in a bus crash caused by the negligence of another. To learn how we can help you receive compensation for your injuries and accident-related losses, call 1-866-735-2792.

Recently, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that the agency, aided by local and state law enforcement officials, carried out 2,782 unannounced inspections of passenger carrier vehicles over nine days. As a result, 289 unsafe drivers or buses were removed from service.

As part of the FMCSA’s ongoing work to enforce passenger carrier safety across the country, the surprise inspections started on March 28 and lasted until April 6 of this year. Out-of-service violation citations were issued to 262 vehicles and 156 drivers. In addition to these inspections, 95 full safety compliance reviews were conducted in order to determine the safety rating of commercial bus companies.

Previously, during March 12 through March 28, at least 3,000 passenger carrier safety inspections were conducted in the U.S., which resulted in close to 300 passenger vehicles being removed from service. The FMCSA has significantly increased the number of compliance reviews and safety inspections on the over 3,700 motor coach companies registered in the U.S., in part due to the Motorcoach Safety Action Plan implemented in 2009. In 2010, 25,703 roadside safety motorcoach inspections were conducted, which is more than double the 12, 991 inspections conducted in 2005. Compliance reviews of motorcoach companies also doubled from 457 in 2005 to 1,042 in 2010. Passenger deaths have declined 19 percent, from 57 fatalities in 2004 to 46 in 2009, in what seems to be a direct result of increased inspections and compliance reviews.

In an effort to reduce bus accidents and passenger fatalities, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has recommended that seat belts be required on buses as well as electronic recorders onboard to replace paper records of driver hours, which can be easily falsified. Additionally, commercial drivers were banned from using their cell phone when driving.

When someone is injured in a bus accident that is caused by another person’s negligence, they may be entitled to compensation. At Anapol Schwartz, our Philadelphia bus accident lawyers help injured victims and family members of those killed in Pennsylvania bus crashes understand the legal options available to them. To learn how we can help hold negligent parties accountable for their actions, call 1-866-735-2792.

An auto accident in Pennsylvania involving a school bus and pickup truck caused several injuries, The Pottstown Mercury reports. Officials say the accident happened in Greensburg, 30 miles east of Pittsburgh, when the school bus struck the pickup truck almost head-on, went off the roadway and slammed into a tree. The number or extent of the injuries for the motorists and their passengers is not known.

Pennsylvania school bus accidents can lead to devastating injuries. Hopefully, no one was seriously injured in this bus crash. When a school bus accident occurs as a result of the bus driver's negligence, the injured victims can file a personal injury claim against the driver and his or her employer, the bus operator. In some cases, the school district can also be held liable.

An experienced Pennsylvania school bus accident lawyer will be able to analyze all aspects of an incident and determine fault and liability in such cases. Injured victims can seek compensation to cover medical expenses, hospital costs, pain and suffering and other related damages.

The skilled auto accident lawyers at Anapol Schwartz have handled a variety of accident cases, including school bus accidents. We have the resources, will and tenacity to go after negligent parties and fight for our client's rights. Call the Pennsylvania car crash lawyers at Anapol Schwartz at (866) 735-2792 for a free consultation and comprehensive evaluation of your case.

A fatal double-decker Megabus accident occurred on Friday which took the lives of four passengers and seriously injured several others. According to the New York Daily News, the bus driver got lost while en route to Regional Transportation Center on Park Street in Central New York and ended up on the Onondaga Lake Parkway where the bus crashed into a bridge overhead. The bus, carrying 28 passengers, including some Pennsylvania residents flipped over.

Four people, including two teenagers were killed in this tragic bus accident. Two of the individuals who were seriously injured and one of those killed were living in Philadelphia before the accident. One of the victims was a 39-year old woman visiting from India and another victim was a 35-year old reverend from Malaysia who was doing a tour of the United States. The bus originated in Philadelphia and was scheduled to stop in Syracuse, Buffalo and Toronto according to a representative of the bus operator, Coach USA. The bus crash shut down both sides of the highway for hours and 24 passengers were taken to a local area hospital. The 59-year old bus driver suffered a head injury but was able to speak to investigators. It is not believed that drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2008, there were 307 commercial bus accident fatalities. While bus accidents are fairly uncommon, the sheer size and lack of safety restraints in some of these vehicles can contribute to the tragic outcome that can occur as a result.

Those who are injured in bus accidents caused by another person’s negligence may be entitled to seek compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering and other damages. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus crash, the dedicated and competent Pennsylvania bus accident attorneys at Anapol Schwartz can help. With unparalleled experience in bus accident injury litigation, our lawyers understand how to examine all evidence and build a strong case to ensure that you are compensated fairly and that negligent parties are held responsible for their actions. Call Anapol Schwartz at (866) 735-2792 to learn more about your legal rights.

Trial began recently in the case of a Cumberland Valley School District bus that hit a tree in Middlesex Township after an eight-year-old passenger put his hands over the bus driver's eyes according to The Patriot-News. The plaintiffs are the parents of a child injured in the crash. The defendants include the school district, the bus company Rohrer Inc. of Duncannon, and the driver, Chad Kovach.

In April 2006, the school bus involved in the accident was carrying the plaintiffs' three children and seven others when one of the children put his hands over the bus driver's eyes. The bus crashed into a tree, and the plaintiffs' youngest son, then in kindergarten, suffered a broken collarbone and cuts to his head. Police determined that the bus driver was not at fault for the crash.

In December 2009, a Cumberland County court ruled that the school district could not invoke governmental immunity to protect itself from the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs seek damages of $100,000. They claim that the bus should have had seat belts, that better discipline should have been maintained, and that a barrier should have separated the driver from the students. They say that they told the school district about their previous concerns about discipline on the bus and the long bus route, but were ignored.

In this case, the plaintiffs state that the bus company, the school district, and the bus driver all played a role in the events that caused their son's injuries. In bus accidents, the negligence of multiple parties may combine to create injuries that would never have occurred had all parties been exercising reasonable care. If you've been injured in an accident and you suspect multiple parties are at fault, please don't hesitate to contact the experienced Pennsylvania bus accident attorneys at Anapol Schwartz. Our attorneys will carefully review your case and seek to hold every responsible party accountable for its actions. Call Anapol Schwartz at (866) 735-2792 for a free and confidential consultation.

When we walk our children to the bus stop before school, we take for granted that sound judgment has been made in regard to the bus driver selection process. As a recent Los Angeles Times article explains, a driver's history is often a good indication of future action, and paying attention to that history, at least in this case, could have prevented both injury and the senseless loss of life.

Reportedly, a school bus was involved in a fatal accident after its driver turned in front of and collided with a Honda Civic. The accident resulted in serious injury to the driver and took the life of the vehicle's passenger. What makes this incident even more problematic is that the driver was previously involved in a cell phone related accident in 1999 in which he ran a stop sign, consequently taking the life of a 2-year old girl.

According to the article, the bus company that employs the man, Student Transportation of America, reasoned that while they knew of a traffic infraction in the driver's past, they did not investigate it because the statute of limitations for investigations of such driving infractions is only five years. The driver had an otherwise clean driving record, came highly referred from his previous employer, and even completed safe-driver training prior to employment. However, regardless of whether or not such statutes had expired and such an exemplary driving record after the fact existed, one could argue that transporting children is a job that requires a more thorough background check, and that a complete driving record should have been fully taken into consideration.

Continue reading "Reckless Driving Leads to Fatal, Allentown School Bus Accident" »

Inclement weather conditions contribute towards a large number of traffic accidents each and every year. According to a philly.com article, multiple accidents have been occurring in Pennsylvania and New Jersey as a result of icy road conditions. Reportedly, a Blue Route accident involving a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus and two other vehicles took place when the bus crashed into the two vehicles that had already been involved in a crash with each other. According to the article, a total of 10 bus passengers were injured. There was no mention of injuries sustained by the motorists of the two other vehicles involved.

Inclement weather conditions are certainly not the fault of motorists, but driving recklessly in such conditions is. Reckless driving practices result in far too many Pennsylvania auto accidents each year. In the event that a motorist chooses to drive in a reckless manner, that motorist can be held liable for injuries and other damages that take place as a result of said reckless driving practice.

Continue reading "Icy Road Conditions in Pennsylvania Contribute to SEPTA Crash that Injured 10" »

A recent story from philly.com reported an auto accident in Pennsylvania caused by a SEPTA bus. The bus driver was reportedly experienced at maneuvering the bus, but on this particular day, the driver happened to choke on a throat lozenge, causing him to lose control of the vehicle while heading west on Ford Road near Balwynne Park Road. A SEPTA spokesperson said that the bus driver and six passengers were taken to a local hospital where they were treated for minor injuries and then released.

The bus had crashed into the residence of Tania James, 36, who was fortunately not home during the Pennsylvania bus accident. Witnesses say that on one side of the road, the bus hit five parked cars and struck a utility pole over. Luckily, no pedestrians or any other drivers were injured. According to reports, the bus also destroyed a metal awning at a house owned by Claudia Conway, 58, and then crashed into the brick front of a home owned by Wanda Kee Taliaferro, 49. There were no reported injuries in any of the buildings the bus crashed into.

Continue reading "Pennsylvania Bus Crash Injures Six Passengers and Driver" »