Dallas Bus Accident Lawyer

2911 Turtle Creek Blvd. Suite 300

Dallas, TX 75219

Call (214) 307-0000

Every school day we send our children to and from school on what we hope are safe school buses that are driven by safety-conscious school bus drivers. Our hopes are usually well-founded because school bus accidents are, fortunately, rare. But when a school bus accident happens, there is always the potential for tragedy.

September 23, 2016: 15 people, including the driver, went to hospitals with non-serious injuries after a school bus flipped onto its side near Crosby when the driver lost control after swerving to avoid another vehicle.

The safety record for charter and tour buses is much less than that of school buses, as recent accidents show all too well.

May 14, 2016: 8 people were killed and more than 40 injured when a charter bus rolled over near the Webb / Demmitt county line. The bus was en route from San Juan to a casino in Eagle Pass. A 9th person died later in a Laredo hospital.

Causes of Bus Accidents

More bus accidents are caused by the bus driver than by any other cause. A rough breakdown of data compiled by federal and state accident investigators supports this conclusion by revealing the primary cause of fatal and non-fatal bus accidents could be traced to:

• Driver errors such as failing to yield right of way or running a stop sign
• Aggressive driving such as speeding, driving too close to the vehicle ahead, swerving in traffic
• Driving while impaired by recent use of drugs or alcohol – using drugs or alcohol while on the job
• Driver fatigue due to driving too many hours without proper rest breaks
• Inadequate bus maintenance or mechanical failure of brakes, lights, or tires

Who is Responsible for Bus Safety?

Although most types of public transportation are regulated by multiple state and federal agencies, charter and tour buses are the exception. If a charter or tour bus company does not cross a state line, the safe operation of these buses is largely left to the bus owner and the bus driver. In fact, the federal agencies that are supposed to monitor bus operators will usually conduct safety inspections every other year. The state agencies that monitor bus operators are slightly more active, making inspections about once a year or perhaps more often if the bus accumulates a fair number of traffic citations.

In Texas, school bus safety is the responsibility of both the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Education Agency. Bus drivers employed by both school districts and school bus contractors are required to have special endorsements for their driver’s license that indicates that they have passed all the mandatory state education and training requirements.

Even though they may operate in Texas, charter bus operators are regulated by the appropriate agency of the state where they are based (usually the state’s Department of Transportation) and by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. As their records show, many of these bus operators are more concerned with profit than with safety.

Finding a Bus Accident Lawyer

As we have seen, most bus accidents are usually due to an employee of the bus company: the driver. When a driver violates safe driving conditions, it is just the same as if the owners of the bus had given him permission to do so. If the bus owner was aware that a driver had repeatedly violated safe driving procedures or even had multiple traffic law violation citations, the company had a legal obligation to either order the driver to obey all safety and driving regulations or to terminate the driver’s employment.

If you or a family member were injured in a bus accident that was caused by the reckless actions of a driver or by the negligence of the bus company, you have the legal right to recover compensation for your injuries. In order to recover those damages you must file a lawsuit against the bus company.

The Dallas bus accident lawyer at the Doan Law Firm is experienced in managing lawsuits involving bus accident injuries and is ready to assist you in getting the compensation for your injuries that you deserve.

When you call the Doan Law Firm’s Dallas bus accident attorney at (214) 307-0000 your first consultation is always free and does not obligate you to us in any way.

If you decide that we should represent your bus accident injury case, we will assume the responsibility for all the expenses necessary for us to win your injury case in exchange for a percentage of your final settlement.