A California bus accident has claimed the lives of at least five people. The bus, filled with French tourists, overturned on California highway 101 close to Soledad. Five of the people that died were from France. Over 30 others were injured.
The cause of the deadly bus collision is unclear. The California Highway Patrol says that the bus hit a center divider, skidded onto its side, throwing a number of passengers from the bus, over the guardrail, and onto the freeway below. The driver appears to have lost control of the bus and the bus was ripped open during the crash. The charter bus was run by Orion Pacific, which is an Orange, California-based company.
If you or someone you love was seriously injured in a California bus accident, it is important that you speak with an experienced motor vehicle crash law firm that knows how to investigate such crashes. Whether the bus you were riding in was a public bus, a bus operated by a charter group or another private company, a tour bus, or a school bus will determine who can be held liable for the injuries.
Common causes of bus accidents:
• Driver inexperience
• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Bus defects
• Faulty brakes
• Poor maintenance
• Poor road conditions
• Bus overload
Most buses are considered "common carriers," which means they owe their passengers and other motorists on the road a greater duty of care to exercise caution when driving. Failure to exercise this duty can lead to a personal injury claim or a wrongful death lawsuit if anyone gets hurt.
Most buses don't come with seatbelts, which means that passengers can get easily tossed around or thrown out of the bus during a serious bus accident. Traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries are unfortunately not uncommon, especially during a bus rollover crash.
This is the second serious California tour bus accident in the last several months. Last October, eight people died and 35 people got hurt when a charter bus flipped over and landed into a ditch.
5 Dead, Dozens Hurt In Hwy. 101 Soledad Bus Crash, CBS5.com, April 29, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Feds blasted on seatbelt law, MontereyHerald.com, April 29, 2009
8 Killed in California bus accident, NY Times, October 6, 2008
Contact Howard Nassiri, LLP for your free consultation with one of our experienced California bus accident lawyers.
