A Fayetteville, N.C. man was seriously injured after he lost control of his vehicle and hit a Cumberland County, North Carolina school bus causing minor injuries to three people on board the bus. Fayetteville Police Sgt. Eric Dow reported that a Mitsubishi Lancer heading toward Bragg Boulevard, rounded a corner at a high rate of speed and went sideways, off the right side of the road. The Cumberland Co. school bus, No. 597, was heading toward Murchison Road when the car collided. The impact of the collision sent the gray Lancer to the other side of the highway and the bus came to a standstill in the same lane.
The car driver, whose name was not released, was trapped in the vehicle and had to be extricated. The unidentified man was flown to Chapel Hill with serious injuries. Three people in Bus No. 597 – the bus driver, a bus monitor and one special needs student – sustained injuries and were taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center for treatment, authorities said.
This accident highlights the importance of responsible driving behavior when approaching an intersection. While some bus accidents do not produce catastrophic results, others may result in severe injury or even death. Approximately six children die and 12,000 more are injured in school bus accidents each year, according to School Transportation News. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 96 percent of the estimated number of children injured in school bus accidents annually are considered minor and considers school buses to be about nine times safer that other passenger vehicles during the normal school commute.
As with all serious injury cases, it is especially crucial to seek out professional legal advice in car or bus accident injury cases and we have the experienced injury attorneys to evaluate your claim. Our firm is ready to assist you in reviewing your specific situation to see if your claim meets our criteria. In North Carolina, as well as every other state, there are laws on how long you have to file a suit also. Don’t hesitate, call our toll free number and get confidential legal advice.