Updated on: 2/22/2019
A man was seriously injured in a two-vehicle collision with a school bus Wednesday in Moses Lake, according to Moses Lake Police.
A 22-year-old man was heading north in a Geo Prizm in the 1500 block of West Broadway Avenue when he rear-ended the bus just before a railroad crossing.
Photos from the accident scene show the vehicle wedged beneath the school bus. The man was taken to Samaritan Healthcare in Moses Lake with serious injuries. He was the only occupant of the car.
Moses Lake Police said no one on the school bus was injured.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Why do Buses Stop at Railroad Crossings?
In the accident described above, it appears that the driver of the following vehicle rear-ended a bus that was stopped at a railroad crossing.
A federal law requires all commercial vehicles that carry either passengers or hazardous materials to stop at all railroad crossings to make sure there are no approaching trains. This law applies even if there are gates and signals in place.
School bus drivers must stop and open their front door at crossings to ensure they can see and hear approaching trains.
Washington state law (WAC 392-145-070) requires school buses to stop at all rail grade crossings.
However, there are five exceptions:
- Where traffic is controlled by a police officer or flagger;
- Where a functioning traffic control signal is transmitting a green light;
- Where the tracks are used exclusively for a streetcar or industrial switching purposes;
- Where the utilities and transportation commission has approved the installation of an "exempt" sign; or
- Where the crossing is abandoned and is marked with a sign indicating it is out-of-service.
Railroad Crossing Accident Lawyer
The most important challenge accident victims face is getting healthy. The accident attorneys at Seattle-based Davis Law Group, P.S., will work on your case while you work on getting better.
We don’t think you should not have to worry about fighting insurance companies to recover what you lost. That’s our job.
If you don’t want insurance companies to take advantage of you, hire attorney Chris Davis and his experienced legal team to fight for you. Our goal is to help you recover from your injuries and obtain compensation for your injuries with the least amount of stress.
If you or a loved one has suffered injury from a car accident, we urge you to contact our office as soon as possible following the accident. Call (206) 727-4000, use the chat feature below or fill out the form on this page. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.
