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6/7/2010
John Cooper
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Fatal Indianapolis Wedding Bus Crash Involved Run Red Light, Unlicensed Driver

The newswires buzzed this past Sunday and Monday with report of a supposedly happy ending to story that began with a deadly traffic accident in downtown Indianapolis on the afternoon of June 5, 2010. A chartered shuttle bus carrying a wedding party and guests collided with a Chevy Yukon, injuring more than a dozen people on the bus. Also, one of the groomsmen died at the scene after suffering a severe brain injury when the bus, hired from the Mavris Arts & Event Center, spun at least 90 degrees and flipped onto its side.

The positive spin put on the story was that the bride and groom went through with their marriage ceremony at the hospital where they and their injured friends and family members received treatment. Police investigations into the accident painted a darker picture.

Eyewitness accounts and reconstructions indicate that the bus driver ran a red light, putting his passengers in the path of oncoming traffic. Further, the driver of the SUV, identified in press reports as Camilo Ortega-Aldarbo, did not have -- and had never held -- a driver's license.

So the bus driver failed to heed a traffic signal and fatally endangered his passengers. At the same time, the driver of the SUV seems to have been an accident waiting to happening. Such an accident did happen, and 29-year-old father James Douglass lost his life.

Bus companies and drivers literally hold passengers' lives in their hands. Likewise, every driver on the road needs to be licensed and alert and able to respond to unexpected situations such as another vehicle running a red light.

My thoughts go out to the Douglass family and everyone affected by his untimely passing.

EJL

Labels: accident Attorney brain injury bus bus drivers Crash died flipped Indianapolis injury John Cooper loss of life motor coach red light SUV wedding wrongful death

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton is a law firm which focuses on injury and accident law and we have experience handling accidents involving mass transit such as airplanes, trains, and buses. In fact, our law firm published a free consumer safety guide on what to do if you are hurt in an airplane accident. Our primary office in based in Virginia Beach, but we're ready to come to you anywhere in Virginia if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness. While not every injury case meets our criteria,  we off a free, initial confidential injury case consultation, so call us toll free at 1-800-752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and we will return your call promptly.  

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis were included among the "Best Lawyers in America" 2010 Edition, and along with attorney John Cooper, were named Virginia "Super Lawyers" For Personal Injury Law  (2010 Ed., less than 5% of lawyers are chosen), and selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2009). In addition, we were the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical, respected law firms. Our firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

Our injury attorneys also host an extensive injury law video library on Youtube . Furthermore, our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard and Norfolk Injuryboard as a public information service along with editing a blog devoted exclusively to railroad accident and FELA law.

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