Investigations into the recent school bus accident in Newton County are continuing.However, as of now, it does not appear that brake failure was a reason for the accident that injured more than 40 children.
The accident involved 2 school buses. According to the Georgia State Patrol, one of the school buses rear-ended the other, which had stopped to drop off children on Georgia Highway 162.Both of the buses were carrying students from Rocky Plains Elementary School.
Thirty four injured students and one of the bus drivers had to be rushed to the Newton Medical Center.Six other students were injured and taken to another hospital. Although the children had to be hospitalized, none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.
The Georgia State Patrol has already conducted a preliminary inspection of the 2 vehicles involved in the accident.The agency has concluded that brake failure was not a factor in this accident.According to the Newton County Public School System, the inspection did not reveal any signs of any mechanical defects in the bus that rear-ended the other vehicle.There were also no signs of any braking or skid marks at the site of the accident.
Officials from the Georgia State Patrol and the Motor Carrier Compliance Division of the Department of Public Safety have conducted a complete mechanical inspection of the school bus that rear-ended the other bus.The driver of the bus which hit the other bus is on medical leave, and a disciplinary action is pending.Investigations will continue.
School bus accidents are relatively rare, but every time one occurs, it is a matter of grave concern to our Atlanta bus accident lawyers as well as parents.You don’t expect your children to be injured when you see them off at the bus stop every day, especially when federal as well as state rules require that strong precautions be taken in matters related to school bus operations.
Rear-end accidents, or accidents that occur when a vehicle hits another vehicle from behind, are typically the result of failure to maintain an appropriate distance from the vehicle in front.It can also be the result of lack of attention to the task of driving.A study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute released in 2006 found that even 2 seconds of attention diverted away from the task of driving can be sufficient to cause an accident.However, only a complete investigation will reveal whether distractions caused this particular accident, or some other reason.
The bus accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons injured in bus accidents, including charter, tour and school buses, in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.If you have been injured in a mass transit accident, call our office today for a free consultation.