School Bus Accidents

Phoenix Personal Injury Lawyers for School Bus Accidents

Parents trust school buses to safely transport more than 23.5 million children to and from school every day. However, some of these buses are poorly maintained, lack seatbelts and other proper safety restraints, and are driven by inadequately trained and overworked drivers. As a result, 12,000 children are injured every year in school bus accidents.

Children are at risk not only when riding the bus, but also are in danger when getting on and off the bus. Statistics show that children are three times more likely to be killed while entering or exiting a bus than when they are riding on the bus. This is primarily due to negligent motorists ignoring laws and not stopping when a bus is picking up or dropping off students, but sometimes the cause is the bus driver's negligence or even the school district's placement of a school bus stop in a location that subjects children to an unreasonable risk of harm as they walk home.

Solomon and Relihan are Phoenix injury attorneys with more than 30 years experience helping accident victims in Maricopa County and throughout Arizona. If your child has been injured in a school bus accident, contact us to see how we can help you.

Causes of School Bus Accidents

Injuries and deaths in and around school buses and bus stops can be caused by one or more of the following:

• Distracted or inattentive motorists
• Inexperienced or inadequately trained bus drivers
• Drivers fatigued from working too many hours
• Overcrowded buses
• Poorly maintained brakes, lights, reflectors and other safety systems
• Negligent placement of a bus stop near busy streets and other dangerous areas

Bus stop accidents are the most fatal type of bus accident. These accidents often are caused by drivers failing to heed the school bus stop sign and striking a child getting on or off a bus. Even if the drivers obey the stop sign, they still need to use extra caution after the sign is raised, as children may still be nearby.

Determining and proving liability for a school bus or bus stop injury can be difficult, particularly when school districts try to shift blame from themselves and their drivers. That is why Solomon and Relihan begins every case with a thorough investigation of the facts and law, to hold those accountable all those who are responsible for the harm a child has suffered.

Contact Solomon & Relihan, Arizona Auto Accident Lawyers

If your child has been injured or killed in a school bus-related accident, you should talk with an attorney without delay. For a free initial consultation with a lawyer about your car accident, contact our Phoenix law firm by e-mail or by telephone. For your convenience, home and hospital visits are available upon request.