Strong Justice For Serious Disease

Drugs may have played a role in fatal bus-train accident

On Behalf of | May 10, 2013 | Wrongful Death

Often, poor or unusual weather can be a nightmare for drivers. Natural phenomena such as dense fog or heavy wind and rain can force drivers to slow down or pull over because visibility becomes so bad-and even then, accidents still happen because of the weather. However, not all accidents that happen during weather events can be attributed to the weather. As any wrongful death attorney knows, accidents may still be caused by the negligent actions of others.

Recently, on a day with particularly fog, a BART bus and a train collided, leave several people injured, and one person dead. However, authorities have begun investigations into the cause of the accident, and have requested toxicology reports for the bus driver after they found two pill bottles inside the bus.

The bus was carrying a number of elderly and developmentally disabled persons to a Lifesteps program, which serves individuals and families with special needs. Ten people were injured in the accident and four of those people are still being treated at a nearby hospital. A ninety-one-year-old woman was taken to the hospital for blunt head trauma, where she was pronounced dead.

Drivers are required to use reasonable care under the circumstances when operating a vehicle. A failure to meet this level of care could constitute negligence, and give rise to liability for injuries or any deaths that happen as a result of that negligence. The surviving family members of someone who has been killed due to the negligence of another may be able to bring a wrongful death suit to recover damages, including medical and funeral costs, as well as loss of support, loss of services and the lost prospect of inheritance.

Witnesses reported that the train hit bus, causing it to spin around. Investigators are still determining how the accident happened.

Source: Pittsburgh.cbslocal.com, “Bus Driver Under Investigation In Deadly Evans City Train-Bus Crash,” Lynne Hayes-Freeland, May 2, 2013

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