Once again, an accident involving a bargain bus is in the headlines. The most recent major bus crash occurred on the New Jersey Turnpike on August 25, 2011, reportedly injuring more than a dozen passengers on a bus that was headed to Washington, DC, from New York. Just a few months ago, four people were killed when a SkyExpress bargain bus crashed near Richmond, Virginia (VA).
Two of the victims involved in the New Jersey bus crash are in critical condition, according to the Washington Post. The bus reportedly collided with two tractor-trailers near South Brunswick, NJ. The bus involved in this wreck was owned by Washington Deluxe, but the bus driver was a contract employee from the Virginia-based D.C. Trails.
The exact cause of the bus crash remains unknown. Was the bus driver distracted or fatigued? A spokesman for the American Bus Association stated that the driver got a full night’s rest and had 11 years of experience under his belt, according to the Post article.
Simply because the driver slept the night before the wreck, however, does not automatically mean he was well-rested. It is possible the bus driver could have been suffering from cumulative fatigue. This is when a sleep deficit accumulates after numerous sleep-deprived days. This type of sleep deficit is not instantly reduced by one night’s sleep and may take two or more conventional sleep cycles to return to normal.
The accident also could have been caused by one of the tractor-trailers. Drivers of these large commercial vehicles are routinely fatigued and that may have been a factor.
We will have to wait and see what the accident report reveals regarding the cause of the bus crash.
PA