Discount Bus Lines Providing Discount Safety in Virginia and North Carolina | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

Passengers should be wary of discount bus lines providing discount fares because the calculation could add up to discount safety, according to the Virginian-Pilot. In May 2001, about 30 miles north of Richmond, Virginia (VA), a bus operated by a Sky Express, a discount company with a poor record of fatigued drivers overturned on a Virginia highway, killing four people and injuring more than 50.

Despite discussions by federal regulators to improve safety, passengers have little help researching whether buses undertake basic safety precautions. At least eight discount bus lines in Virginia Beach, VA, and Norfolk, VA, make daily runs to New York and Washington, but only two companies show up on a federal database that assists passengers on safety records. Part of the problem is the constant changing of company names, and pickup and drop-off points.

Sky Express, the Charlotte, North Carolina (NC)-based company involved in May’s tragic crash, reappeared after the Virginia bus wreck with new buses registered to a New York-based company, New Oriental Tour. Passengers bought tickets that had the wrod “Sky” blacked out, leaving only “Express” readable.

Bus company name changes are legal under relaxed federal regulations, and the companies rarely get subjected to safety checks from federal and state officials. Federal records show Virginia State Police performedd only 8 roadside inspections of charter buses in 2010, while North Carolina officers conducted 370 inspections.

The Sky Express bus wreck was an example of safety not being the number one priority for some bus companies. Besides death, serious injuries like brain and spinal cord injuries may result from a bus accident.

Those injured in this Virginia bus wreck may be looking at months, or years of recovery for personal injuries. A bus crash can be a life-changing tragedy that requires the assistance of Virginia personal injury attorneys for full justice.

To learn more about what to do if you or a loved one is hurt in a bus accident, check out our Frequently Asked Questions devoted to the subject.

LC