With COVID-19 pandemic limitations changing in many communities across the country, the number of students returning to in-person learning is increasing. In fact, the incoming presidential administration has announced that it intends to take steps to permit nearly 100% in-person learning for nearly all elementary, middle, and high school students in the United States within the first 100 days of the start of the new presidency. School busses will be returning to the streets in larger numbers. Consequently, there will be a naturally associated increase in the number of school bus accidents that occur on U.S. roadways.
A school bus accident that occurred near the end of December 2020 illustrates the potential risks associated with these types of incidents. A school bus in Enterprise, Alabama, was traveling down a city street when the vehicle was rear-ended in a chain-reaction traffic accident. When the vehicle slammed into the rear of the school bus, the force of the collision had significant consequences. The force of the impact caused the bus carrying students to overturn.
Directly after the bus accidents, emergency personnel reported that the driver and students appeared to have fate on their side. According to EMTs, no one on the school bus appeared to require significant medical care as a result of the accident.
While young people appeared to escape serious injury in the Alabama school bus accident, that tends to be the exception and not the rule, according to attorney Jimmy Doan, President of The Doan Law Firm. The statistics associated with school bus accidents in the United States are grim. On an annual basis, school bus accidents have significant consequences that include:
- There are about a half million school buses on the streets of the United States (when schools are fully up and running, which is expected to be the case during the first part of 2021)
- Approximately 13,000 children are injured in school bus accidents each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- School bus accidents killed 117 people nationwide in 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Those killed in school bus accidents include children on these vehicles, other motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
In addition to horrific fatal injuries, other common types of serious injuries children involved in school bus accidents sustain include:
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Traumatic brain injury
- Damage to other internal organs
In an alarming number if school bus accident cases, children end up with some type of permanent disability or disfigurement. In addition, victims of school bus accidents may also experience emotional distress and even more long-term psychological issues. These include suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, which can be a truly debilitation condition. In addition, school bus accident victims may also experience depression and a more generalized anxiety disorder as a result of the violent experience.
If you’ve a child who has been injured in a school bus accident, you need to be proactive to protect important legal rights and interests. The first step is reaching out to and connecting with a qualified school bus accident lawyer, like an experienced member of the legal team at The Doan Law Firm.
You can arrange an initial consultation and case evaluation with a Doan Law Firm bus accident lawyer by calling our 24-hour hotline at (800) 349-0000. You can connect with our firm any time of the day or night, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year, including all major holidays.
The Doan Law Firm is a nationwide law practice, with 40 offices located across the country. We can schedule an appointment with you at any one of our offices, at your home, or even a virtual consultation online. We make access to a qualified bus accident attorney as convenience as safe as possible for you and yours. There is no charge and no obligation for an initial consultation and case evaluation with a Doan Law Firm bus accident lawyer.
The Doan Law Firm also makes an important attorney fee guarantee to you. Our firm never charges an attorney fee unless we win for you. When it comes to a case involving an injured child, rest assured that the legal team at our firm will fight tirelessly to win big for you.