Fatal Virginia (VA) Accident Involving SkyExpress Bus Kills Four.

A tragic bus accident involving a SkyExpress bus has killed four people on a Virginia (VA) highway.  The bus was travelling from Greensboro, North Carolina (NC) to Chinatown in New York City, and was involved in a single vehicle accident just north of Richmond, Virginia (VA) that has left four people dead and several others injured.  Even more alarming is the fact that it is being reported that this same bus company has had a record of safety problems in the past. 

The driver of the SkyExpress bus has been cited for reckless driving, and the police are saying that driver fatigue was a factor.  Accidents, by the very nature, are not intentional acts... but sometimes obvious things can and should be done to lessen the liklihood that an accident will happen.  Driving while fatigued, otherwise known as drowsy driving, is estimated to be responsible for over 100,000 police-reported crashes each year, as estimated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  There is no question that this all-too-common practice is a menace.  Unfortunately, it is also harder to detect that drunk driving, even though it can be just as deadly.  Commercial drivers, such as big-rig truck drivers and, as in this case, charter bus drivers, often feel the pressure to push through the fatigue because they have specific schedules that they are required to adhere to by their employers.  This scary reality means that not only might you have a fatigued driver on the highway next to you and your family, but that drowsy driver may be behind the wheel of a vehicle several times the size and weight of your car, truck, or SUV.

There are simply no words that could accurately describe the devestation the families of the deceased must be going through at this time.  I won't even try and pretend I can understand what they are feeling.  I do however feel passionately that even if one driver reads about this tragic event and thinks twice about continuing on their road trip while tired, that is one more person that may prevent a terrible accident from happening.  Our firm has extensive experience representing the families of people who have been killed due to the negligence of others.  If you believe you or a family member has been the victim of a drowsy driver, please give us a call or fill out a quick contact form.