Virginia Bus Accident Proves That Fatigue Kills When It Comes To Commercial Drivers

by James Lewis

JIm is a Virginia injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

6/17/2011
James Lewis
Comments (0)

Virginia Bus Accident Proves That Fatigued Commercial Drivers Can Kill

While 37-year-old Kin Yiu Cheung, the driver in last month’s fatal Virginia bus accident, has been charged with four counts of felony involuntary manslaughter, many safety advocates are wondering who is more to blame, the bus driver or the discount bus industry in which Cheung worked.

According to many experts in the industry, the way low-cost bus services operate often leads to dangerously tired bus drivers. In the Bowling Green, VA, bus accident, Cheung tried to stay awake with caffeine and chats on his cell phone, but still couldn’t manage to stay awake at the end of an overnight seven-hour shift. In another bus accident that took place earlier this spring, a different driver is also facing criticism that he was fatigued when the bus ran off of the road, killing 15 passengers.

All in all, authorities believe that between 13 and 31 percent of commercial vehicle accidents are caused by fatigue.

What can we do to fix the problem? Many believe that federal safety regulations should be tightened and more strictly enforced. Others think that bus companies have to step up and change their operations to prevent future accidents. Currently, many bus drivers work multiple jobs to get by, and some drivers are called to a long job with less than an hour’s notice.

Category: Mass Transit (Airline, Train, Bus)

Labels: bus accident and fatigue causes of bus accident discount bus industry and accidents federal bus safety regulations I-95 fatal bus accident in Virginia

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Viriginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling cases for victims of mass transit accidents such as airplane, train and bus crashes. In fact, our law firm published a free consumer safety guide on what to do if you are hurt in a plane wreck.

We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA including Suffolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Norfolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008, and have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive.

Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, ours was the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA mass transit injury law 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.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. Call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can respond directly to you.

Virginia Super Lawyer Best Injury Lawyers in Virginia

There are no comments.

Search Our Site

Get help Now!

Practice Areas

Virginia Bus Accident Proves That Fatigued Commercial Drivers Can Kill

Post a comment