School Bus Accident Attorneys

Ideally, the school bus accident investigation should begin immediately following the crash, primarily because memories may deteriorate over time. Investigations are required to determine fault, which may be due to failure to comply with safety regulations, policies and procedures or vehicle failure.

In addition to determining fault, one of the primary reasons to do a thorough investigation of school bus accident is to prevent future accidents of identical or similar causes. Furthermore, accident investigations usually shine a light on “hidden” safety issues that can be added to safety features and/or training in the future.

School bus crashes are perhaps the most carefully scrutinized motor vehicle accidents. In most cases the following groups conduct their own investigations:

• The local/responding police department
• The bus driver will write an on-scene “incident/accident report”
• The school district will most likely send a supervisor to create a “supervisor’s crash report”
• The busing contractor will conduct their own investigation
• The attorneys representing injury victims may hire their own private investigator
• The insurance companies that represent any possible defendants in the case may hire their own private investigator
• The lawyers representing the accident victims may hire accident reconstruction expert
• The insurance companies that represent any possible defendants in the case may hire their own accident reconstruction expert

The following are some of the school bus contractors in the State of Washington:

• Baumann & Sons Buses, Inc.
• Cook Illinois Corporation
• Dean Transportation Incorporated
• Durham School Services
• First Student, Incorporated
• Harlow’s School Bus Service, Incorporated.
• Kobussen Busses, Ltd
• Landmark Bus
• The TransGroup, LLC

The following are some of the school bus manufacturers in the State of Washington:

• Blue Bird Corporation
• IC Bus
• Starcraft Bus
• Thomas Built Buses, Inc.
• Collins Industries
• Girardin Minibus
• Trans Tech
• Van Con
• Lion Bus

The following are types of school buses:

• Type A – Cutaway Van. These are the smallest-sized bus typical passenger capacity ranges from 30-36 passengers.
• Type B – Integrated. These buses are slightly larger than Type A buses but also hold from 30-36 passengers.
• Type C – Conventional Bus. These buses are constructed from a bus body mounted on a medium duty truck chassis. Typical passenger capacity ranges from 36-78 passengers.
• Type D – Transit Bus. These buses are constructed from a bus body mounted to a separate chassis. Typical passenger capacity ranges from 54-90 passengers.

School buses are a highly regulated segment of the transportation industry. It’s regulated federally at the manufacturing level (prior to actual use) and when a school bus is used for a field trip. It’s also regulated at a state level when the bus is being regularly used.

States have extensive school bus regulations through motor vehicle and education laws. But school districts also apply their own policies to school bus operations.

• Lack of seat-belts on school buses
• School bus capacity concerns
• Number of students per seat
• Driver training
• School bus outsourcing

Non-Conforming Vans Used for Student Transportation

Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) is a federal law passed in 2005 that prohibits non-conforming vans in school bus transportation and closes a loophole that previously only penalized dealerships from selling the vehicles to school districts.

In June 2006, a study by the National Transportation Safety Board found that a majority of states have failed to take any action in following up on SAFETEA-LU.

School Bus Driver Safety Training

Certain elements of training differ for drivers of school buses and other buses. For example, school bus drivers generally receive specialized training in passenger management, loading and unloading procedures, and vehicle evacuation, as well as additional training in transporting, assisting, and monitoring special-needs children.