A recent accident involving a charter bus in Brunswick, Virginia resulted in reckless driving charges for the bus driver. According to Virginia State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred late last month when a charter bus was driven off the side of Interstate 85 near Brunswick.
Police say the accident occurred around 6 in the morning and the bus was carrying 40 members of a church group. According to authorities, the driver said he swerved to avoid hitting an animal and ended up sending the bus into a ditch.
The accident resulted in a closure of I-85 South while emergency responders tended to injured passengers, some of which had to be removed through a side window of the bus. A total of 11 people sustained injuries in the accident. Five people were transported to Southside Regional Hospital in Petersburg, VA while six others were taken to South Hill Community Memorial.
Accidents involving commercial buses are sadly not rare events. In fact, as the popularity of commercial bus services have exploded, so have the numbers of serious commercial bus accidents. These accidents frequently turn deadly given the large number of passengers onboard and the general lack of safety features on the buses. Charter buses and other commercial transportation operations rarely if ever have things like airbags or seat belts, features that are standard on even the most basic passenger cars. Passengers are thus left unprotected and vulnerable in the event of a crash, leading to severe injuries and even death.
Mass transit or bus accidents are very different than a common fender bender. The investigations can be much more time intensive and fighting with a commercial bus operator over damages is often a lengthier process than handling an accident between two individuals. Many of these bus companies, such as the one in the accident above, cross state lines all of which make recovering restitution much harder without the help of an experienced Virginia (VA) bus accident injury lawyer.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Virginia accident you likely don’t know where to turn for advice. The following answers to common frequently asked questions can help provide some basic information about why it’s important to obtain legal counsel after suffering an unexpected accident.
Here’s a Google Map showing the location of the Brunswick, VA car accident:
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