Negligence Lawsuit Filed After Fatal Greyhound Bus Accident Killed Texas Woman
A fatal Greyhound bus accident has resulted in the filing of a $1 million negligence lawsuit. The family of the Texas woman, who was killed in December 2015 after she was struck by a Greyhound bus, is suing the transit company, Greyhound, the bus driver, and the driver of the SUV. The negligence lawsuit seeks damages for negligence and manslaughter.
The woman was a passenger in a car driving in an SUV when the driver swerved off the road and hit a concrete barrier at 5:30 AM. A Greyhound bus struck the disabled SUV in the rear after police were already on the scene trying to move the disabled vehicle. The woman was pronounced dead on the scene due to the force of the Greyhound impact. Several Greyhound passengers were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. According to the lawsuit, the driver, “failed to operated his vehicle at a safe speed” and that he failed to use the correct form of “evasive action” to avoid the collision. The lawsuit also claims that the SUV driver was negligent and was “incompetent and unfit to safely operate a motor vehicle” when the crash occurred.
[star-telegram.com/news/business/article55689340.html]
This is not the first time that a transit bus or Greyhound bus has been involved with fatal or serious roadway crashes. In January 2016, another Greyhound bus driver in California claims fatigue was the cause of a crash where the bus ran into safety barriers and killed two women and injured 18 other people. [http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/northern-california-greyhound-bus-accident-kills-hurts-18-36376460, January 2016]
Fatigue is often cited as a cause for roadway accidents among bus drivers and truck drivers. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that nearly 3 percent of all crashes resulting in injuries or fatalities were caused by driver fatigue or drowsy driving. Greyhound officially requires nine hours of rest after each 10 hour shift of driving. Drivers are also not allowed to drive more than 70 hours in eight days. However, ABC news reports that some drivers under-report their driving hours to make ends meet. [nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs/811449.pdf] [abc7news.com/traffic/greyhound-says-they-allow-drivers-to-get-more-rest-than-mandates/1166267/, January 2016]
Statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in 2013 show that buses, while not in as many accidents as other motor vehicles, have thousands of accidents each year. In 2013, bus crashes resulted in 280 fatalities. Transit buses, like Greyhound buses, accounted for 33 percent of all fatal accidents. In 2013, buses were involved in crashes causing injuries 18,000 times, resulting in 38,000 injuries. For every 100 million miles that buses travel, an average of 251 people will be injured. [fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/data-and-statistics/large-truck-and-bus-crash-facts-2013]
Although buses are safe compared to many other vehicles on the road, there are still risks associated with taking a transit bus between cities and on longer trips. The best way to remain safe is to obey all safety laws, to travel with well-known bus transit companies, and to drive during the day when bus drivers are less likely to fall asleep at the wheel. Just as night driving is dangerous for you, it is also dangerous for overnight bus drivers.
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