Ten local children had an eventful second week of school. They were headed home on Wednesday when their bus collided with a pickup truck on I-35 near downtown Fort Worth. The pickup rolled over and came to rest on its roof. Miraculously, nobody was injured.
There are plenty of other bus collisions that have happened in our area recently.
- Two weeks ago, a car hit a school bus packed with middle school students in Denton and it caught on fire. Eight of the 45 kids suffered injuries.
- Last spring, a Fort Worth school bus carrying 32 students collided with a passenger vehicle near Loop 820 and I-20 and several children were injured.
- Two weeks later, seven Alvarado students and the bus driver were injured when a tractor-trailer plowed into the bus.
- Just a few days later, two bus crashes occurred in Fort Worth on the same day. A Honda ran into a school bus and two hours later an SUV ran into a different bus carrying 17 middle and high school students and caused several injuries.
And my law firm is currently representing two people seriously injured in bus-related collisions. In the first case, a man driving an 18 wheeler was hit by a loaded school bus that darted out in front of his truck. In the second, a little girl was walking across the road to catch her bus when a speeding truck failed to stop and hit her.
This is ridiculous. School buses are huge and bright yellow, and everyone can see them. And when they stop, a long arm extends out to the side and lights flash to inform other vehicles to also stop. If their obvious appearance isn’t enough, the law is very clear.
Drivers are prohibited from passing a stopped school bus with its stop sign and lights activated. Violating this law can result in a $1,000 traffic ticket.
Law Governing School Bus Collisions
Court cases are controlled by the Texas Tort Claims Act, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, Section 101.021(1), and the Texas Transportation Code. School districts are protected as governmental units and cannot be sued unless there is a waiver of sovereign immunity provided in the Act. Damages are capped at a total of $100,000 for each person injured and $300,000 for all injuries and/or deaths and $100,000 for property damage.
Your Rights If You Have Been Injured In A Collision
People who have been injured in accidents caused by motor vehicles are advised to talk to a good personal injury lawyer. He can file a claim and lawsuit against the at-fault driver, company, and entity responsible so the victim can get his medical bills, lost wage, and other damages paid. My law firm specializes in these car, truck, 18 wheeler, and other serious crash cases. If you or a loved one has been injured, contact Berenson Injury Law at 817-885-8000, toll free at 1-800-801-8585, or by filling out the form here.
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