Bus Accidents: Look Out Below

We think we know how a bus accident will happen. Either the bus will be struck by a truck or car, or the bus will lose traction on the road and flip over. We have seen so many movies and have such active imaginations, we think we can guess how such an accident will occur. Sometimes, our imaginations aren’t active enough.

A story out of Washington involves a most peculiar accident. On March 18th, a Metro bus carrying a full load of passengers was driving down the highway when a road sign fell from a bridge overhead, caving in the roof of the bus and causing multiple injuries. The sign was dislodged when a steel bar dropped from a construction crane, striking the sign and knocking it loose. All indications are that the steel bar was not being lifted properly, either due to being improperly secured or because the equipment doing the lifting wasn’t properly balanced to bear the load.

If the accident was caused by negligence on the part of the construction company, there were multiple safety precautions that could have prevented this terrible incident, including:

• Closing the highway while heavy machinery is in use
• Requiring construction workers to double-check to ensure that material is properly loaded in equipment before attempting to move it
• Requiring safety crews to evaluate each machine to make sure that it is properly situated before it bears any weight

Unfortunately, none of these safety precautions were followed, and many people were hurt. Many accidents are the result of unsafe behavior, rather than being truly accidents. If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident, it is important that you learn whether proper safety protocols were developed and followed. That usually means contacting an experienced lawyer who knows what questions to ask to get the answers you need.