An adult and two children were injured recently in Virginia when a tractor-trailer truck crashed into a school bus. Officials said their injuries were not life-threatening.
According to a news report, the woman was the school bus driver, and the two children were her own. The truck driver was uninjured. He told a news reporter he hit the brakes but could not stop his truck in time to avoid hitting the bus. He described the situation as a nightmare. As of this writing, police had not released any of their findings about the accident, and had not made an official determination of who might have been at fault.
Personal injury lawsuits are rarely straightforward, but accidents involving commercial vehicles and buses create especially complex legal issues.
When a truck driver causes an accident through negligence, the injured may hold the driver liable for their damages, and, depending on the circumstances, may also be able to hold the truck driver’s employer liable. Other parties may be liable as well.
A similar dynamic comes into play after a bus driver causes an accident through negligence. If the bus is owned by a local government agency, the government may be held liable in some circumstances. Filing suit against government agencies comes with its own set of legal hurdles and procedures.
One thing all motor vehicle accident cases have in common is the importance of timing. Those who have been injured in a car or truck accident should speak to a personal injury attorney as soon as they can in order to learn about their options for recovering compensation.