Manslaughter Charges Brought Against Bus Driver in I-95 Crash That Killed Four | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Four involuntary manslaughter charges have been brought against the driver of a commercial tour bus that crashed May 31, 2011, on the I-95 in Caroline County, Virginia (VA), killing four people and injuring 43.

The driver from New York was already facing a reckless driving charge for possibly being asleep at the wheel prior to the crash, CNN reported. The new charges are felonies, each carrying a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Investigators say fatigue caused the driver of the low-fare SkyExpress bus to swerve off the highway, hit an embankment and flip over.

The bus left Greensboro, North Carolina (NC), on the night of May 30 and was headed for New York City with 58 passengers on board. According to court records cited by the Boston Globe, the driver had previous citations in Virginia.

The Globe said he has “previous traffic violations in Virginia dating back to 2003, including speeding, following too closely, and failing to obey a highway sign. It was not clear whether the violations were personal or while driving a commercial vehicle.”

As experienced personal injury attorneys based in both Virginia and North Carolina, we are deeply saddened by this tragedy that has now led to serious charges. Indeed one of our attorneys, Jim Lewis, was born in Caroline County, so this tragic incident has hit close to home.

The tragedy has led the authorities to look closely at the driver and at SkyExpress. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an unsatisfactory rating for SkyExpress on the day of the accident.

And it’s not just this company. The authorities are now looking more closely at the dubious record of bus companies that run in and out of New York’s Chinatown. The buses have been under scrutiny since another terrible crash in March, when a bus returning to New York’s Chinatown slid into a pole, killing 14 people.

Our Virginia wrongful death attorneys see far too many cases in which involuntary manslaughter charges are brought in the wake of tragedies on our roads. Last year we noted how an involuntary manslaughter charge was brought against a man charged with killing a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol in Hampton, VA.

While the charges against the bus driver and the investigation into the bus company are still making headlines we are reading less about the victims and those who are struggling with serious injuries.

Our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible tragedy.

DM