Officials Investigating Atlanta Area School Bus Accident

By Grant Law Office on January 31, 2013

On January 22, 2013 dozens of students and a bus driver were hospitalized after a school bus rear-ended another stopped school bus in Newton County. According to a CBS Atlanta news report, 30 students suffered minor injuries and one student and one bus driver suffered slightly more severe injuries.

The Georgia State Patrol and State Department of Public Safety conducted an investigation following the crash to determine why it occurred and how it could have been prevented. According to the Newton County Public School system, as reported by The Covington News, there were no mechanical defects on the buses involved in the crash. An inspection of the brakes and of the crash site showed that the braking system did not fail. The driver of the school bus that collided with the stopped bus is on medical leave and could face disciplinary action.

Whenever a vehicle strikes a stopped or parked vehicle, there are a number of questions that investigators must ask. Why was the driver unable to avoid the collision? Was the motorist speeding before losing control? Was the driver distracted or intoxicated? Was the at-fault driver fatigued?

When school buses are involved in an injury accident, there are a number of potentially liable parties. Depending upon the circumstances of the collision, potentially liable parties may include the bus driver, the school district, the owner of the bus, the mass transit company or even the manufacturer of the bus parts. A knowledgeable Atlanta child injury attorney will know how to determine liability and how to negotiate for fair compensation for the victims.