A school bus driver in Sarasota County is under fire after alleging running a red light and causing an accident that sent one student to the hospital.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the accident occurred Thursday, November 17, close to the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Lockwood Ridge Road. The bus was in the left turn lane facing east, while a GMC Arcadia was coming from the south on Lockwood Ridge Road. The 60-year-old bus driver then ran a red light, causing the driver of the other vehicle to broadside the bus.
There were 26 students aboard the bus at the time of the crash, and one had to be taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Bus accident cases can proceed in several ways
Depending on the circumstances in a bus accident, there are several ways an ensuing personal injury claim might proceed. When the bus driver is at fault, the driver and the bus company could be liable for injuries to drivers or passengers of other vehicles, along with passengers on the bus itself.
Bus passengers would proceed with personal injury claims in the same way they would if they were in another vehicle involved in a crash. Attorneys and courts use the same procedures and standards to prove negligence on the part of the driver. In most cases, the claim would be against the company that employs the bus driver, unless the bus driver was guilty of reckless or gross negligence or was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
To learn more about your options for filing a personal injury claim after a serious crash, meet with a knowledgeable Bradenton auto accident lawyer at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh.