The deadly and fiery crash in California of a FedEx truck and a chartered bus carrying high school students brings attention again to the ongoing problem of gaps in motorcoach bus safety. 10 people died and more than 30 were injured in the crash and major fire that resulted. The truck and the bus were both burned to empty hulks. And reports say that those who escaped the burning bus were able to do so primarily because someone had kicked out a window through which they were able to exit.
A new report from two witnesses today whose rental car was sideswiped by the truck before it hit the bus says that the FedEx truck cab was already on fire before the truck crossed the median and hit the bus. Joe and Bonnie Duran said that the flames were at the lower rear of the truck cab, coming up wrapping around the cab. (KNBC-TV Los Angeles, 4/12/14) Our Houston bus accident injury attorneys emphasize that this report, if accurate, adds a whole new dimension to the crash and its possible causes.
How Seatbelts could help prevent Injury and death after a Major Bus Crash
The NTSB, which is currently investigating the FedEx truck – bus crash in California, recommended seatbelts for passengers in motorcoach buses as early as 45 years ago. A fiery bus crash near Baker, California in 1968, caused by another driver crashing into the bus, killed 19 people. The NTSB investigation of that crash found that most passengers had actually survived the initial impact, but were unable to escape the bus and resulting fire because of their injuries and disorientation after being thrown from their seats in the crash. The NTSB concluded that if the passengers had been seatbelted in at the time of the crash, they likely would have been less disoriented and able to escape the bus before it was engulfed in flames.
Our Houston bus accident injury attorneys have written before about the lack of seatbelts in passenger buses and the failure of federal authorities to require this obvious safety feature. And finally last November, a federal rule came out requiring three-point lap-shoulder belts to be installed in newly built tour buses and intercity motorcoach buses by late 2016. The requirement does not apply to school buses or city transit buses.
Data collected by the U.S. NHTSA reveals that around 8,000 people receive injuries each year in passenger buses. Authorities estimate that seatbelts in these buses might reduce moderate to serious injuries as well as fatalities by around half. The new seatbelt requirement will apply to the approximately 29,000 motorcoach and tour buses that ply U.S. roads each year carrying about 700 million people, most of them safely, to their destinations. That number is about the same as the number of people who travel by air each year in the United States.
Passenger Bus Safety a Low Priority with the Federal Agencies
But as Jim Hall, a former associate board chairman of the NHTSA was quoted by Joan Lowy (whose in-depth articles on key bus safety issues we find very illuminating). Mr. Hall mentioned that bus transport is “the transportation that carries primarily older people, students, and low-income people. It hasn’t been a priority (for regulators).” The NHTSA has apparently been working on recommendations since 2007 regarding better ways to ensure that people are able to evacuate buses quickly and easily after an accident. The recommendations might include things like easier to open windows and emergency exits. But no recommendations or new rules in this regard have yet been issued. (Joan Lowy, Associated Press, 4/11/14) It appears that bus safety is indeed a low priority among federal regulators.
Learn what to do to protect yourself after a Bus Accident Injury
Contact the experienced Houston bus accident injury attorneys at Denena Points, PC for a free, no obligation initial legal consultation. We can discuss the specific facts of your accident with you, help you understand your legal options, and evaluate your potential eligibility for a full financial recovery for your injuries. Call us at 713-807-9500 or fill out our online contact form to schedule your free consultation. Put the personal injury expertise and 15 year track record for successful recoveries of our Board Certified attorneys to work for you.