With the school year starting recently, many kids in the Nashville area will be using school buses to commute.
As a parent, one of your primary concerns to start the year should be your child’s safety on his or her trip to the bus stop, and once he or she boards the vehicle. Each year, more than 23 million students board buses to get to and from school, creating the potential for injury accidents.
Sadly, 24 school-age children die in school transportation-related crashes each year (11 occupants and 13 pedestrians), according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
According to the agency, to avoid an accident, you should take the following safety precautions:
- Arrive at bus stops at least five minutes early
- Make sure your child is aware of his or her surroundings
- Remind your child that the area is not a place to run or play
- Make sure your child is aware that he or she should provide the bus with space when it arrives
- Make sure your child is aware that the bus should be at a complete stop before he or she boards it
While these are all great tips for parents, a school district has a duty to make sure that your child is kept safe. If your child is injured due to the negligence of a bus driver and/or a school district, you may be able to hold it liable.
There have been multiple school bus crashes in Tennessee that have made headlines recently, including one in Knoxville last year that killed two students. The crash occurred when one bus crossed a concrete median and struck another bus. Investigators later determined that the driver of the bus was texting at the time of the crash.
MOVING FORWARD FOLLOWING A SCHOOL BUS CRASH
If your son or daughter is injured or killed in a school bus crash, talk to our Nashville vehicle accident attorney. He can investigate the incident and determine if negligence played a role in the crash.
As we noted, school districts have a duty to keep kids safe, making sure bus drivers are capable of handling vehicles and adhering to local laws.
You can reach our Nashville injury lawyer by clicking on the live chat option on this page or by filling out the contact request form.
“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” – Psalms 27:14
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