By Larry Weisberg on April 26th, 2013
It can be very harmful when buses crash. Bus accidents can cause numerous injuries. Bus accidents can sometimes even result in fatalities.
Recently, a bus accident occurred which had fatal results.
The accident happened in Texas on April 11. Reportedly, that day, a bus went off the roadway of the road it was travelling along and collided into a barrier. This bus accident reportedly resulted in three passengers dying and many of the other passengers getting injured.
What Caused This Bus Accident?
Determining what exactly caused a bus accident to occur can be very important, as what an accident’s cause was can impact what options are available to the accident’s victims to seek relief.
Recently, authorities released a report that contained their findings from their preliminary investigation of the above-mentioned accident.
According to the report, no evidence was found in the investigation indicating that alcohol, drugs or mechanical problems played a role in the crash.
Reportedly, the evidence that was found in the preliminary investigation indicates that what did lead to this accident was a failure to maintain lane by the bus driver.
This gives rise to a question: what caused this reported failure to maintain lane by the bus driver?
One thing that sometimes is behind a failure to maintain lane is driver inattention. The report by authorities indicates that driver inattention may have played a role in the accident.
Another thing that sometimes causes a driver to fail to maintain lane is the driver experiencing a medical problem while behind the wheel. Reportedly, the bus driver told police that he might have experienced a black-out right before the accident. Thus, it appears that it could be a possibility that a medical problem played a role in the accident.
If the bus driver is found to have suffered a medical problem right before the accident, it would give rise to some more questions, such as:
- Was the medical problem caused by a medical condition the man had?
- If so, was the condition one that should have precluded the man from being a bus driver?
- Did the bus company the driver worked for take proper steps to determine if the driver was physically/medically fit to drive a bus before hiring him?
As this matter illustrates, many questions can arise in connection to bus accidents. It will be interesting to see what findings are reached regarding the accident as the investigation into it continues.
Source: The Washington Post, “Report: Driver involved in fatal North Texas bus crash says he may have blacked out,” April 22, 2013