A Braden River Middle School Bus driver was cited for careless driving after the school bus he was driving crashed into the rear-end of a Walmart tractor-trailer truck on State Road 64 in Manatee County. Manatee County school bus No. 560 was carrying 40 students from Braden River Middle School to their homes when the rear-end collision occurred. 21 students plus the bus driver were injured. Fortunately, none of the injuries were life-threatening and almost all the students were released into their parent's custody later that night.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the driver lost control of the bus after his leg became pinned down in the wreckage and the bus ended up a quarter mile down the road from where the rear-end collision occurred. According to students, the driver was disciplining a student and became distracted, taking his eyes off the road for a brief moment. The Walmart tractor-trailer truck was stopped at a red light at the intersection of State Road 64 and 66th Street East in Bradenton when it was rear-ended by the Manatee County school bus. Most of the injured students suffered bruises, cuts and other minor injuries.
As of late Thursday, the worst injury suffered by a student was a broken femur. About half of the students who rode the bus were absent from school the next day. Braden River Middle School will have crisis counselors available for students and parents who have concerns about the school bus accident. Video from inside the school bus or evidence from the Global Positioning System (GPS) has not yet been released. This evidence may be withheld during investigation into the Manatee County School bus crash. The evidence could help to determine the speed the bus was traveling at the time of the school bus crash.
FLORIDA SCHOOL BUSES TYPICALLY HAVE LOW CRASH RATES
Even though this was a bad Manatee County school bus accident, studies have shown that school buses are one of the safest methods of transportation to and from school. School buses help to reduce the numbers of cars on the road. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that school buses keep about 17.3 million cars away from school areas every day. This helps reduce the risk of Sarasota and Manatee County pedestrian accidents and other types of accidents.
School buses have special features including cross-view mirrors, stop sign arms and flashing lights. School bus drivers are specially trained and they must pass a pre-employment drug screen. Also, school bus drivers must pass a written exam that tests their knowledge of rules and laws, and they must pass a skills test taken on a school bus. School buses have been shown to have a low fatality rate when involved in school bus crashes. Only 1% of fatalities among students involve school bus accidents.
The legal issues surrounding Manatee and Sarasota County school bus accidents can be quite complicated. Claims for injuries resulting from Florida school bus accidents must be filed within four years of the accident. Compensation may be available for property loss, current and future medical expenses and attorney's fees. Many factors may have been at work at the time of the Florida school bus accident. For instance, did the bus accident occur due to the driver's blind spot? Was the driver distracted by the student passengers? Were there safety hazards on the road that the school bus was traveling on? A qualified Sarasota and Manatee County bus accident attorney can help with these complex issues and protect your legal rights.
Contact the experienced Florida school bus accident lawyers at Morgan Dramis, P.A. for legal assistance involving a school bus accident in Sarasota or Manatee County. Call (941) 953-4555 to schedule an appointment for a free consultation.
