Taking a tour bus can be an excellent way to explore the city, especially if your vacation time is limited or you do not like moving around on foot. However, just like any other bus, a tour bus can get into a car accident. When this happens, people who got injured aboard a tour bus have multiple options to seek compensation. More often than not, tour bus accidents are caused by either the bus driver’s negligent acts or poor vehicle maintenance (many accidents involving tour buses are caused by equipment failure, faulty tires, and defective brakes).
Tour Bus Accident Leaves Five Dead, 60 Injured
Five people were killed, and about 60 others were injured in a crash involving a tour bus and three tractor-trailers in Pennsylvania. According to WTAE, among the dead were the tour bus driver, two bus passengers, and two UPS drivers. Our thoughts and prayers are with their families.
An early investigation has already identified one problem. According to PennLive citing a report by the National Transportation Safety Board, the tour bus did not have any seatbelts, which may have caused two passengers to be thrown from the bus upon impact. The deadly chain-reaction crash involved the tour bus, tractor-trailers, and a car. The incident occurred at milepost 86 on the westbound turnpike about 40 miles from Pittsburgh. The tour bus was traveling on a downhill grade when the driver failed to “negotiate a corner,” according to the report. Then, the bus went up an embankment, rolled over, and was hit by two tractor-trailers. Subsequently, a third tractor-trailer collided with the first two, and another car became involved in the pileup crash. The tour bus was operated by a company called Z & D Tour Inc., which provides daily express bus service between New York, Louisville, Lexington, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Wheeling, Vandalia, and Springfield.
Tour Bus Accidents: Types and Liability
Tour bus collisions are caused by a variety of factors, though most of them involve the following:
- Speeding
- Sudden stops
- Distracted driving
- Rollovers caused by sudden swerving or an abrupt change of movement
- Crashes into the center median
- Poor road conditions
- Weight distribution problems
- Maintenance issues
Tour bus operators have a duty to ensure the safety of their tourist passengers. If the driver of a tour bus was negligent or reckless, you might have a valid personal injury claim to recover damages. Under the law, bus companies providing tour services are considered common carriers. In other words, like any other bus carriers, the company providing tour services can be held liable for passengers’ injuries.
Often, victims need a skilled personal injury attorney to show negligence by a tour bus driver or prove that the vehicle was not maintained properly. When a tour bus accident is caused by mechanical issues, the bus company can be held at fault. Besides the tour bus driver and the company providing tour services, third parties might also be liable for the crash. These third parties may include bus manufacturers, parts manufacturers, other motorists, and even the government. Talk to our attorneys from Roberts Law Office to determine at-fault parties in your case. Call at (859) 231-0202.