The News-Times recently reported that 38 lawsuits have been filed in Connecticut against the state's three major bus companies, DATTCO, Durham School Services, and First Student, and are related to 4,695 school bus accidents that have occurred throughout the state of Connecticut since 2016. It was reported that the most common cause of these school bus accidents occurred as a result of rear-end collisions. The majority of these lawsuits involve claims being made by other drivers, and approximately one-third of those cases involved injuries to children and passengers.

Where They Occur

Not surprisingly, those school bus accidents occurred most often in the state's largest cities. For example, five school bus accident cases were filed were in Stamford and four were in New Haven and Bridgeport. Hartford and Waterbury each had three accidents resulting in lawsuits. Some of these lawsuits were filed because the bus entered another vehicle's lane while attempting to turn, collided with vehicles, and rear-ended other motor vehicles.

The Injuries

The article points out that typically, rear-end collisions cause the most damage to other vehicles and result in more significant injuries given the fact that you have very weighty commercial vehicles crashing into smaller cars and trucks. In a number of cases involving minor plaintiffs, the children would fall from their seats after the driver turned suddenly- which resulted in minor injuries to the student.

The Laws

In 2016, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a rule requiring entry-level driver training for all school bus drivers. However, did not require that these candidates receive a minimum number of hours behind the wheel, which is thought to be critical to ensure a new driver can safely operate a commercial vehicle. Further, the implementation of this rule has been delayed until 2022.

What To Do

If you are injured in a school bus accident, it is extremely important for you to contact an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer at the earliest possible moment. There may need to be a number of things that have to be investigated to properly prove your case and to help increase the value of your claim.

Our Connecticut accident attorneys handle these cases on a contingency fee basis and advance the costs to develop your case. Simply stated, you do not have to come up with any money out of your own pocket in order for us to represent you. If there is no recovery, then you will owe no legal fees and no costs so there is no financial exposure to you and your family.

If you or someone you know has been involved in any type of an accident in Connecticut, then you should contact our Connecticut injury attorneys immediately. Our consultations are free and we will also provide you with free books, which we have written, that will explain what to do and what not to do. Do not take a chance in making a mistake in waiting before contacting a Connecticut accident lawyer. Click here to contact us or call 888-244-5480.