NYC Bus Accident Attorney Discusses Recent Serious Bus Accidents in New York City that Injured Many

An NYC bus accident attorney knows the rules of the road. A top NYC bus accident attorney knows the special rules and laws that apply to big buses and trucks on the road. A many-ton bus is different and more dangerous than driving a car on the road. The bus has longer stopping distances, a wider turning radius, and bigger blind spots.  It has more mass than a car. Therefore, a bus collision will exert more force on whatever or whoever it hits.  Buses usually do not have seat belts for passengers.

NYC Bus Accident News

In August, 2015, at least three serious bus accidents in New York and New Jersey left several people in critical condition.  In New Jersey, a school bus accident sent eleven children to the hospital.  The kids were heading to Mt. Carmel Guild School in West Orange when the driver hit a Toyota Rav 4 and a liquor store.

On August 14, 2015, a bus accident on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge caused harm to 16 people and extensive delays.  The people were taken to Harlem and Lincoln Hospitals.

On August 12, 2015, a very serious bus accident sent a man to New York-Presbyterian/Cornell Weill Medical center for multiple traumatic injuries.  The MTA bus driver did not see the victim in the street.  The bus drove over him.  In that NYC bus accident, witnesses said “the tire was over his legs.”  Witnesses also said the accident was not the driver’s fault, but the driver did not see the man at all.  A witness said the victim “came out of nowhere,” but apparently was walking with a cane before the accident.

Bus Accident Statistics

National Transportation Safety Board Study, “Report on Curbside Motorcoach Safety,” states that in 2009, there were about 241 million bus trips.   “Buses and other commercial motor vehicles (CMV) have a higher likelihood of fatal accident involvement per registered vehicle.”  “Between 2005 and 2010, the average number of motorcoach accidents annually was 1,003. Thirty-two accidents were fatal, resulting in 44 deaths; 505 were nonfatal and 467 involved property only.”

A University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute 2010 study showed about 63,000 buses are involved in accidents and 14,000 cause injury to a person.  325 injuries are fatal.  Inter-city buses are 1.9 more likely to become involved in an accident, and charter operations have “significantly higher odds of driver error.”

The Journal of Safety Research, in 2012, reported that buses are not necessarily safer than cars.  Newer bus drivers and bus drivers over the age of 55 are more likely to be involved in a more serious bus accident.

NYC Bus Accident Attorney: Locations of Fatal Large Truck and Bus Accidents in 2013

(Source: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)

Top NYC Bus Accident Attorney Explains Basic New York and National Bus Accident Law

Bus drivers must carry a Commercial Driver’s License. Bus drivers and bus companies must comply with all Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Bus drivers and companies also have to follow New York State and Local driving rules. The rules and regulations for bus drivers and companies can be complex. They are exhaustive because bus driving is much more dangerous than driving a car.

If you or a relative were injured in a bus accident, call a top NYC Bus Accident Attorney at Fisher Injury Lawyers.