While school bus transportation is considered one of the safest forms of motor vehicle transformation available, school bus accidents do happen every year. One of the risks comes as children are boarding or deboarding school buses.
In Washington State, drivers are not allowed to drive past a school bus that has stopped and put their stop signs and lights on. RCW 46.61.370 states, “(1) The driver of a vehicle upon overtaking or meeting from either direction any school bus which has stopped on the roadway for the purpose of receiving or discharging any school children shall stop the vehicle before reaching such school bus when there is in operation on said school bus a visual signal as specified in RCW 46.37.190 and said driver shall not proceed until such school bus resumes motion or the visual signals are no longer activated.”
If your child was injured getting on or off of a school bus because a driver failed to stop for a school bus, we can only imagine what you are going through. Please contact an experienced local car accident lawyer who can discuss your legal rights and fight for a fair settlement.
How Many Kids Getting Hit Coming Off the School Bus?
In 2021, 108 people died in accidents involving school buses across the country. According to NHTSA, a school bus-related crash is any accident where a vehicle used as a school bus is directly or indirectly involved. This includes incidents where school children are getting in or out of a vehicle.
Between 2012 and 2021, around 70 percent of the deaths in these crashes were people in vehicles other than the school bus, and 16 percent were pedestrians. About five percent were school bus passengers, five percent were school bus drivers, and three percent were cyclists.
Looking at injuries from 2012 to 2021, approximately 30 percent were school bus passengers. Whereas, nine percent were school bus drivers, and 53 percent were people in other vehicles. The remaining injuries were suffered by pedestrians, cyclists, and others whose category is unknown.
The data comes from the National Safety Council (NSC), analyzing information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Kid Hit by Bus While Waiting to Get On
As reported Fox 5, 11 Alive and WSB-TV 2, an 8-year-old girl in Georgia was hit by a car on Thursday, February 1, 2024 as she was trying to get on a school bus. As of Friday evening, February 2, the victim remains in critical condition at Egelston Children’s Hospital in Atlanta.
The child was struck by a 25-year-old woman driving a Ford Fusion in Henry County, Ga. The girl was crossing the street after exiting the bus. According to Georgia State Patrol (GSP), the bus was on Jackson Lake Road in the northbound lanes. The bus had activated both stop signs in the front and rear and had its red flashing lights on. As the victim crossed the street, the driver allegedly struck the child.
Emergency medical personnel performed a “life-saving measure” before she was flown by helicopter to Egelston Children’s Hospital in Atlanta. The driver remained on the scene; however, there is no information about whether or not the woman was arrested. An investigation remains ongoing.
Seek the help of a car accident lawyer
If you or a loved one was injured in a collision because of the negligence of another, contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal rights. Let an experienced car accident attorney fight for the full compensation that you deserve. It is not uncommon to receive a settlement from the insurance company that is five to ten times larger with the help of a lawyer. Call the personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Bellingham, WA today for a FREE consultation! We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County since 1979. You will pay nothing up front and no attorney fees at all unless we recover damages for you!
