10 Boulder Hill Students Hurt in Bus Accident

 Posted on March 02, 2015 in Personal Injury

An early morning crash between a car and a school bus in the Chicago suburbs sent 10 elementary school children to the hospital for minor injuries, treatment and evaluation. The accident was caused by a driver who ran a traffic signal and hit the bus. School Bus Accidents School bus accidents, also known as school-transportation-related accidents, are those that either directly or indirectly involve a school bus or non-school bus acting as a bus that is transporting children to or from school or school-related activities. According to the National Traffic Highway Safety Bureau, there have been 348,253 fatal motor vehicle accidents since 2003. Of those, 1,222 were school-transportation related. Fortunately, this is a relatively low percentage of accident fatalities (.35 percent). Nonetheless, these accidents are scary because they involve young children. Between 2003 and 2012, 89 of these crashes killed at least one occupant who was in the bus, and 58 percent of these fatal crashes involved another vehicle. From 2003 to 2012, a total of 174 school-age children died in school-transportation-related crashes; 55 were occupants of school transportation vehicles and 119 were pedestrians. However, more than 119 pedestrians, under the age of 19, have died in accidents involving school-related transportation accidents since 2003. Sixty-five percent of these school age children were killed by school buses. Statistics show, however, that school children are overall safer in a school bus than in a passenger vehicle. This is because school buses are designed to better sustain damage from an accident because of their size, height, reinforced sides, and higher crush standards. The drawback to this is that while students within the bus are safe, pedestrians and other drivers are at greater risk if they are hit by a school bus. While 8 percent of the fatalities in the school-transportation-related accidents were those traveling in the school bus, more than 71 percent of those who died were occupants in the other vehicles. Student pedestrians are particularly at risk between the times of 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., and 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. These are the most common times school age children are walking to and from school. Contact Our Experienced Bus Accident Attorneys If you or loved one has been hurt or killed in an accident with a school bus, either as a pedestrian, driver of another vehicle, or passenger in another vehicle, you may be entitled to damages that cover pain and suffering, personal injury, wrongful death, medical expenses, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs (amongst other costs). Please contact an experienced DuPage County personal injury attorney at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices to review your case.