A total of 10 elementary, middle and high school students went to hospitals on January 17, 2012, for treatment of injuries they sustained when the school bus carrying them crashed at the intersection of Highway 135 and East A Avenue in Easley, South Carolina (SC). The full details of the accident have not been reported, but police have charged the bus driver with failure to yield.
A spokeswoman for Pickens County, SC, schools told the Independent Mail that “all of the students were treated and released from the hospitals, and parents were given information on how to file claims through the school district’s insurance provider.”
That sounds like a neat resolution to a traffic accident that could have been far worse. After all, none of the children suffered life-threatening injuries and the school is prepared to assume liability and cover medical costs. As Carolina personal injury attorneys whose lawyers often represent crash victims, however, we know that every parent with a hurt child would do well to seek legal counsel before filling out and submitting any insurance claims to the school’s insurer.
Insurance companies work to protect their bottom lines and the interests of their policy holders. This means nothing less than that insurers almost always try to get away with paying as little as possible for even legitimate and undeniable claims. To ensure they receive compensation adequate to cover their children’s bus accident-related medical costs, as well as their own lost wages, the parents involved in this case need representation from lawyers who will act only on their behalf.
EJL