James Craft Injured In Carbondale School Bus Accident on Giant City Road
Wrongful Death - September 20, 2022
James Craft Seriously Injured In Carbondale School Bus Accident While Walking By Giant City Road
CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS (September 19, 2022) – A male pedestrian identified as James Craft was injured in a Carbondale school bus accident by Giant City Road.
Jackson County officials are saying that the accident took place around 9:35 a.m. on Wednesday. James Craft was attempting to cross the street when he was hit by a Vienna School Bus, which was transporting students to SIU.
Paramedics were called to the scene of the collision in order to help the victim. James Craft was transported to the hospital with serious injuries.
The driver of the school bus remained at the scene and cooperated with police. A full investigation remains ongoing at this time.
Liability In Carbondale School Bus Accidents
School bus accidents may seem like freak occurrences, but they are unfortunately quite common. According to the National Safety Council, “School bus-related crashes killed 54 people nationwide in 2020, down by over 50% compared to 2019 according to National Safety Council (NSC) tabulations of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).” There are a number of factors that make school buses particularly dangerous for pedestrians.
- School buses have large blind spots that can easily obscure the presence of pedestrians.
- Fully loaded school buses can weigh 36,000 lbs and take much longer to stop than passenger vehicles.
- School buses have a wide turning radius which can increase the odds of a side-impact collision.
School buses are considered “common carriers” under the Common Carrier Liability Act (740 ILCS 25/). Their drivers are held to a high standard in terms of safety. They must do everything in their power to avoid hitting pedestrians. Pursuant to Illinois Vehicle Code 625 ILCS 5/11-601, no person shall drive a motor vehicle at a speed greater than what would be reasonable given the prevailing conditions of the roadway. If a school bus driver failed to reduce their speed and hit a pedestrian, this could form the basis of a negligence claim.
The company that a bus driver worked for could also be held at fault for a collision. Generally speaking, companies are liable for the wrongful actions of their employees – insofar as those employees were working within the course and scope of their job duties. For example, a school bus driver may have been transporting children at the time of a crash. Victims of school bus accidents tend to suffer very serious and costly injuries including:
- Broken bones
- Head injuries
- Lacerations
- Spinal cord injuries
The FMCSA requires buses that can carry 16 or more passengers to have at least $5,000,000 worth of liability coverage. Unfortunately, bus companies will often fight extremely hard to deny liability for any crash. They will try to blame the person who was injured in the crash. This is one of the reasons that it is so crucial that all evidence is properly preserved after a school bus accident.
Investigating A Carbondale School Bus Accident
We at Horwitz Horwitz & Associates extend our best wishes to James Craft as he continues to recover. It is our sincere hope that he will be able to make a full recovery. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to police. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what happened.
Have you or someone that you care about been injured in a school bus accident? There are a number of laws designed to protect your rights. Our team of pedestrian safety advocates are here to answer any questions that you may have. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into an accident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (312) 564-4256.
