Six Children Injured When A Car Hit Their School Bus

Lever & Ecker, PLLC January 30, 2016 Car Accidents


Six children of unknown ages were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after
their school bus flipped over in a Brooklyn intersection.

Their Traumatic Experience

The children were on their home sometime around 3 p.m. when the school bus made a left turn. While the bus was still in the intersection, a driver in a Mustang sped through the light and t-boned the bus. The impact pushed the bus over onto its side.

Witnesses said that it was as if the driver of the car didn’t even see the bus before the accident. The children were shaken up and upset but thankfully only suffered minor injuries. One unidentified adult was taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition.

The Importance Of Immediate Medical Care

Anyone who has been in a car accident needs to have a complete physical exam performed by a doctor as soon as possible – even if they don’t believe that they have been injured. The shock and impact of a car accident typically sends adrenaline coursing through the body. Adrenaline doesn’t actually mask the pain of an injury, however, it does trigger a “fight or flight” response in the body and essentially increases the body’s focus on survival.

This effect means that the pain of injuries isn’t actually noticed until the danger has passed – sometimes hours, days, or even weeks after the accident. It also means that if the condition isn’t treated immediately, permanent damage may occur and the road to recovery may be even longer than it would have originally been.

Records of each visit to any physician should be obtained and kept by the victim.

Distracted Driving

Unfortunately, it isn’t surprising that the driver of the car didn’t appear to even know that the bus was in the intersection or that they should have stopped – it was likely that they were distracted.

Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents. The distraction can be any number of things:

  • eating or drinking
  • texting
  • adjusting a GPS
  • grooming
  • talking to other passengers

Whatever the cause, when the driver isn’t paying attention to the road the risk of being in an accident increases.

Who Will Pay For The Children’s Medical Bills?

New York is considered a “No-Fault” state. This means that anyone involved in an accident will turn to their own insurance for compensation. However, if the insurance of the victims isn’t enough to cover their needs, the law allows them to pursue legal action against the person who was responsible for the accident.

Can The Parents Pursue Legal Action Against The Bus Driver?

If the police determine during the course of their investigation that the bus driver was at-fault in any way, it may be possible for the families of the children to file a complaint against the driver. It may even be possible to seek compensation from the busing company if it is determined that they were negligent in some way.

Should Car Accident Victims Contact An Attorney?

Absolutely. A car accident attorney can help you by going over the details of your accident and helping you determine which parties were at fault. They can also present you with all legal options available to you so that you can make decisions that will help you and your families get the compensation you need.

Recovering compensation may include payments for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and emotional trauma.

Even if you don’t want to pursue a legal claim, an attorney can still assist you in dealing with the insurance companies. Although insurance exists so that accident victims don’t have to worry about being financially hurt as well as physically, these companies are still businesses and they have learned to do everything they can to avoid making payments.

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