School Bus Recall Affects 53,528 Buses Nationwide
Thomas Built Buses announced in October that it is recalling 53,528 buses nationwide to fix a problem with seats that don’t meet federal regulations for leg protection if a crash occurs. Specifically, the seats may have been manufactured with styrene blocks that may not provide acceptable impact absorption in some areas around the steel seat frame of the back support. The recall was filed Oct. 4, 2019 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Defects Investigations. According to the recall notice, there have not been any reports of injuries related to the defective seats. Official notifications are scheduled to be sent out Dec. 2, 2019.
The defect in the seats was discovered in March, 2019 in a report by Transport Canada that identified non-complying test results on two of the four seats tested for knee foam impact. The recall affects Thomas Built School Buses equipped with SynTec S3B seats manufactured between 2014 and 2019 and S3C RTR seats manufactured between 2013 and 2019.
Affected buses will be repaired by installing more impact material between the re-bond back and the vinyl back cover. This repair will ensure that the seats are in compliance with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 222, “School Bus Passenger Seating and Crash Protection.”
Will Whatcom County be affected by school bus recall?
According to reporting by the Bellinghamherald.com, the recall could affect more than two-thirds of the Bellingham School District’s 79 buses.
- The Ferndale School District’s buses are not affected by the recall.
- The Lynden School District owns 11 Thomas Built buses made since 2014 that may be affected by the recall.
- The Meridian School District has five school buses that may be affected by the recall.
- The Mount Baker School District has had issues repaired on five school buses.
School bus owners may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov for more information.
Product liability law
Defective and dangerous products cause thousands of injuries every year. If you were involved in a motor vehicle crash caused by a defective part, contact a product liability lawyer today; he or she may be able to help you recover damages for your injury.
In successful product liability cases, a product manufacturer, distributor or seller is held liable for the injuries caused by the defective or dangerous product. Product liability laws vary by state but generally require that a product meet ordinary consumer expectations that a product be free of defects or dangers. When a product fails to meet this threshold, it could end up as part of a product liability lawsuit.
Seek the help of a product liability attorney
If you or a loved one is dealing with an accident or injury caused by the negligence of another, you have enough on your plate. Let an experienced 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 bigger with the help of a lawyer. Call the competent accident attorneys 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!
