Man Dies in South Georgia Accident Involving School Bus

An 80-year-old man died earlier this month after a collision with a school bus. According to the Valdosta Police Department, a pickup truck and a Valdosta City Schools bus collided at around 6:40 a.m. on South Patterson Street in Valdosta. Upon arriving at the accident, first responders found the pickup truck partially underneath the side of the bus and pronounced the driver dead at the scene. A witness said that she believed the school bus was stopped at a stop sign and turned in front of the truck shortly before the collision. The occupants of the bus included the driver and six students, one of whom complained of a minor injury. As this incident illustrates, motor vehicle accidents involving school buses can cause serious injuries and deaths, but a Tifton accident attorney can help victims and their families recover. 

How Common Are School Bus Accidents? 

Car accidents involving school buses are more common than you’d like to think. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were a total of 998 fatal school transportation-related accidents from 2012 to 2021, resulting in 1,110 deaths. Of those, 52 were drivers and 61 were passengers. Interestingly, about 70% of the people killed in school-transportation-related crashes were occupants of other vehicles involved in the crashes, indicating that school bus accidents are deadlier for other drivers than the occupants of the buses. Nevertheless, injuries to children are particularly tragic and can have life-long consequences for their victims. 

What Causes School Bus Accidents? 

School bus accidents are similar in many ways to truck accidents. While the analogy is not perfect, both school buses and trucks are long and heavy, have large blind spots, make wide turns, and are slow to come to complete stops. These characteristics can cause similar types of accidents. Other common causes of school bus accidents include: 

• Driver error: Bus drivers undergo strict training, but they are nonetheless human and subject to the same errors as all drivers, including speeding, tailgating, unsafely changing lanes, and ignoring traffic signals. 
• Distracted driving: All drivers face distractions, but none face as many distractions as bus drivers. Rider supervision is a distraction that can easily lead to accidents. 
• Environmental hazards: School buses spend much of their time in crowded and often chaotic school pickup and drop-off zones, which increases the likelihood of striking a pedestrian or other vehicle. 
• Poor maintenance: Few public school districts are known for their wealth, which in many cases can lead to deferred maintenance that can result in an accident. 
• Inclement weather: While most school districts in Georgia close for winter weather, other types of weather — such as heavy rain, wind, and fog — can create hazardous driving conditions and increase the risk of a school bus accident. 

Hold Negligent Bus Drivers Accountable With Help From a Tifton Accident Attorney 

Personal injury lawsuits against school districts can be tricky, which is why you need the counsel of an experienced attorney to maximize your chances of success. For more information, please contact a Tifton accident attorney at at the Hudson Injury Firm by calling 229-396-5848 or using our online form.