The driver of the Sky Express bus that crashed on I-95 in Caroline County, Virginia (VA), on June 1, 2011, leaving four people dead and injuring 54 others, was set to appear in court in late September 2011. According to the Associated Press, the driver is charged with misdemeanor reckless driving.
Court records revealed the driver admitted to police he fell asleep at the wheel when the bus, on its way to New York, overturned around 30 miles north of Richmond, VA, with around 60 people aboard. In January 2012, he will go on trial on four felony counts of involuntary manslaughter.
The North Carolina-based Sky Express us operated by a discount company with a poor record of fatigued drivers, according to the AP. The National Transportation Safety Board investigated the accident, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued an order limiting the bus company’s interstate transportation services “for violating multiple federal safety regulations.”
This update on the deadly bus crash and the subway crash in Shanghai, China, reported recently by Emily Brannon, a personal injury attorney, causes us to reflect on how people often get killed or seriously injured when they ride on buses, subways, planes, and trains that do not pass safety requirements. The SkyExpress bus in the VA crash had no passenger seat belts.
Those injured in the Virginia bus accident may be looking at months of recovery. A mass transit crash can be a life-changing event that requires the help of Virginia personal injury attorneys to make mass transit providers accountable for accidents.
To learn more about what to do if you or a loved one is hurt in a mass transit accident, check out our Frequently Asked Questions devoted to the subject.
LC