A number of bus accidents have occurred so far this week from Oklahoma to California to Iowa.
Stillwater, Oklahoma
In Stillwater, Oklahoma on Monday, ten high school students sustained injuries after the bus transporting them collided with a light pole.
The bus was carrying students from Moore High School to a Stillwater High School track meet, to be held the following day.
Several of the students mentioned that they had both neck and back pain, and ten students were taken to the nearby Stillwater hospital for diagnosis and treatment. At the time of this writing, no details on their condition have been released.
No reports on if the accident was caused by the driver’s error, if there was an obstruction in the road, or if the bus malfunctioned are available at this time.
Cathedral City, California
Two students were injured on Tuesday in Cathedral City, Calfornia when an SUV struck a school bus transporting 44 school-aged children while merging.
The bus, driven by 43-year old Maria Jimenez, was waiting in the left-turn lane at around 7:30 in the morning when a Ford Explorer, driven by 42-year-old Gonzolo Lopez Jr., merged into the lane and struck the bus. The SUV’s left front fender collided with the bus’s right front bumper.
The jolt of the collision caused neck and back pain for a number of students, including two that were transported to Desert Regional Medical Center for diagnosis and treatment. No updates on the children’s condition have been released. Lopez sustained only minor injuries, which were diagnosed and treated at the site of the crash.
Sumner, Iowa
Most recently, two bus drivers and at least 40 students were injured Tuesday in the Sumner-Fredericksburg School District of Iowa.
The collision occurred around 3:30 pm. One bus was pointed in the opposite direction as it was heading with significant damage to the back end. The other bus was in a ditch on one side of the road near a pole.
According to local authorities, 25 of the 40 students were transported to nearby Sumner Community Memorial hospital, where one student was admitted for overnight observation.
An additional 11 students were transported to Palmer Lutheran Hospital, located in West Union; the reports from this hospital confirms that none of the injuries were critical or considered to be life-threatening, said Mark Sigwarth, Iowa State Patrol Senior Trooper.
“We are kind of counting our blessings out here at the side of the road today,” Sigwarth said.
The drivers were also transported to local hospitals with minor injuries.
You have options
With the recent tragedy in Boston fresh on the minds of parents, ensuring the safety of our children is of paramount importance. Public transportation such as school buses are contracted and used as a safe means of transporting children to and from their schools. When a fatal or harmful accident puts your child at risk, you have options. A number at parties may be at fault for your child’s hardship, and experienced school bus accident lawyer Jeffrey Killino at the Child Injury Firm has the knowledge and experience to hold them accountable. You may be entitled to receive damages for your child’s injury. Contact us today for a free case evaluation.
