SAN DIEGO SCHOOL BUS ACCIDENT LAWYER

The San Diego Unified School District prides itself on transporting 8,000 students safely each day to-and-from school. In California, many public school districts have stopped subsidizing all students to ride the bus. Some counties have increased the fees parents must pay for this transportation drastically, which has caused some public outcry. How angry would you be if you paid for a service you trusted with your child’s safety and found out they were still exposed to danger?

If the above situation has happened to you, and your child was involved in a school bus accident, you have every right to be upset. Our experienced school bus accident lawyers at Mova Law Group can help you start your personal injury claim today. We can walk you through the process, starting with a free consultation to review the facts of your case. You can contact us 24/7 through the form on this website or call (858) 900-9911.

Your personal injury lawyer will take the time to investigate the cause of the accident with you, review evidence, and possibly hire expert investigators to uncover this information. The cause of the accident is vital as it will point to who the liable party is for the accident.

The cause of a school bus accident is usually one of the following:

• Driver fatigue.
• Driver intoxication.
• Distracted driving.
• Inadequate training of school bus drivers.
• Driver’s failure to obey traffic regulations.
• Overloaded school buses.
• Poor school bus maintenance.

Based on these causal factors, multiple parties may be liable for the injuries stemming from a school bus accident. Our law firm Mova Law Group has a history of getting results in personal injury cases. We can help you fight against any party responsible for your child’s accident.

Entrusting your child’s safety to their school district and the hired school bus driver is a big deal. Children’s bodies have years still to grow and develop, and injuries that stunt growth at this time or cause permanent disability can be particularly devastating.

Some bus accident injuries from accidents may include one or more of the following:

• Broken bones.
• Brain injuries or concussions.
• Spinal cord injuries.
• Whiplash injuries.
• Burns.
• Lacerations.
• Seizures.
• Possible paralysis.
• Wrongful death.

A school bus driver’s duty of care is higher than it is for any other motorist on the road. You and the school district entrust them to provide safe transportation for your children, which is not a task to be taken lightly.

A school bus driver must operate their vehicle “reasonably” to avoid negligence. Reasonable operation means they cannot be distracted or intoxicated while on duty and must practice extreme caution when traveling in poor road conditions. They must also maintain order in the bus while on the road.

The bus driver, the bus owners, and the school district may be liable for a bus accident in the following cases:

• They needed to address a safety concern brought before them and have yet to do so.
• The driver doesn’t operate the bus with due caution.
• Safety measures are not activated when children are boarding or disembarking (flashing lights, handrails), and children do not exit or enter in an orderly fashion.
• The driver doesn’t ensure traffic stops before the children leave the bus.
• The driver fails to ensure children cross the street safely (they must cross in front of the bus and never behind).
• All objects and body parts didn’t remain inside the vehicle.
• Children are allowed to stand in the aisle while the bus is moving or not remain seated.
• Children do not wait for the bus in a safe location.
• Children have distracted the driver.
• The driver has not ensured the school bus has regular maintenance.
• The school bus driver did not receive adequate training to drive the bus and meet the safety standards.

If a bus driver’s duty of care was breached and this, in turn, caused the school bus accident that resulted in personal injury to your child, they can be found negligent and held liable for damages.

The cause of the school bus accident will determine the liable parties. You and your school bus accident attorney may discover more than one party to hold accountable. The process is complex, but at the law offices of Mova Law Group, we have experience in this area.

Potential parties to examine for responsibility in a school bus accident are:

• School bus drivers – These individuals have a higher duty of care than any other motorist on the road as they are driving your children. You can sue them for damages if they are found to be negligent.
• School district – You may pursue legal action against the entity that arranges the busing if you find their negligence contributed to the school bus accident.
• Bus manufacturers – Have a duty to inform the public and recall parts if they learn any are faulty, and this contributed to the accident.
• Evidence for product liability must show that the school bus operated as it was supposed to, its performance hasn’t dropped over time, and the part is “unreasonably dangerous.” The faulty component may be a tire, brakes, seats, windows, accelerators, or fuel systems, for example.
• Private bus companies are contracted to provide transportation for the school district, churches, private schools, or other commercial vehicle organizations that may own the bus. These have a responsibility to keep up with regularly scheduled maintenance and repairs.
• Government entities – Municipal or county level responsible for road upkeep. If you file a personal injury claim against a government entity, remember that the statute of limitations is shorter (6 months).
• Other drivers – If there was a collision with another car and that driver is at-fault, you can file a claim against them and their insurance company.