Last week, students from Indiana Tech traveling on Interstate 65 in a commercial tour bus on their way to a college bowling tournament were involved in a scary and serious bus crash. The college kids, along with the bus driver and the school coaches, were riding south on I-65 when the bus suddenly ran off the highway at a high speed, and flipped over on the side of the roadway.
Many people were hurt, including lots of students as well as the 76-year-old bus driver. Fortunately, no one was killed or permanently injured.
Reporters on the scene asked the students what had happened, and eyewitness accounts are that the bus driver was fighting to keep control of the bus shortly before it overturned — but his efforts to set the bus aright with the steering wheel and the brakes were unsuccessful in preventing a crash. The bus flipped over and rolled side-over-side three times, crashing down the side of the raised highway.
It’s amazing that the bus load of passengers did not sustain more serious injuries. Not one person in this bus crash had life-threatening injuries there at the scene.
Tour buses offer passengers comfy seats and a sense of safety on the road that may not be warranted.
However, when a serious bus accident happens here in Indiana or Illinois, it’s always time to stop and consider how much risk we are taking upon ourselves and our kids when we decide to travel by commercial bus here in our part of the country.
After all, bus accidents can be very serious and lots of people die in commercial bus accidents. For example, just two days ago down in Brazil, a tour bus was carrying a full load of passengers when the driver lost control and the bus went off the road, falling down 1300 feet before coming to a stop. Initial reports are that the bus may have suffer brake failure. Sadly, 42 people died in this bus crash.
Traveling By Bus Is Not Safer Than Traveling by Car
Across the United States, buses are involved in accidents almost every week and over the years, there have been many different research studies focused upon figuring out why buses crash so often and what can be done to make traveling in commercial buses and motorcoaches safer for all of us. Some studies focus upon all buses; some look to city and school buses only and others study tour buses, charter buses, and other private motorcoach carriers.
In 2012, for instance, research published in the Journal of Safety Research confirmed that buses are not safer than traveling by car (though many people think this is true). From that report: “… while bus accidents comprise a relatively small share of the total accidents (0.6%) in the United States, the number of bus accidents per million passenger miles (3.04) is comparable to the number of car accidents per million driven miles (3.21).”
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus crash, then there may be several reasons for the accident and more than one party responsible for liability and damages in your case. Having an experienced bus crash lawyer to investigate your claim and your individual circumstances is vital if you are seeking justice for injuries sustained after a bus accident in Indiana or Illinois.
For more on bus accidents, read our resources page or check out our past discussions of bus accidents and the dangers of bus travel.
