Baltimore School Bus Accident Lawyer

The Baltimore City Public School System has a responsibility to protect your child’s safety. When a public school or one of its employees makes a mistake, and a student gets injured as a result, the victim and their family have a right to seek compensation. If your son or daughter was hit by a Baltimore school bus, or got injured while riding the bus, Rice, Murtha & Psoras can help your family fight for justice.

Our Baltimore school bus accident attorney is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide you with a free legal consultation. If your child was injured in a school bus accident in Baltimore, we can help you understand what the next steps for your family may be. For your free consultation with our bus crash lawyer in Baltimore, contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras online, or call 24 hours at (410) 694-7291.

How Common Are School Bus Accidents in Baltimore?

Compared to car accidents, school bus accidents are uncommon. However, school-related crashes still occur more frequently than most people would likely estimate.

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) defines a “school- transportation-related accident” to mean any collision or single-vehicle accident “that involves… a school bus… or a non-school bus functioning as a school bus, transporting children to or from school or school-related activities,” such as football games, school field trips, dances, or competitions. According to NHTSA statistics, school-transportation-related accidents caused more than 1,280 fatalities over the period from 2007 to 2016, claiming an average of nearly 130 lives each year. NHTSA statistics also highlighted the following facts:

  • Nearly 1,150 school-transportation-related accidents took place from 2007 to 2016.
  • Among the 1,282 victims who were killed during that period, the majority were occupants of other vehicles (902 total fatalities), followed by pedestrians (216 total fatalities), then school bus occupants (118 total fatalities). Nearly 100 were “school-age pedestrians (18 and younger).”
  • Tragically, more than 280 of the fatalities in school transportation accidents from 2007 to 2016 were “school-age children,” including more than 115 children in vehicles other than school buses.
  • Accident fatalities were most likely to occur in the morning or afternoon, when buses are typically transporting children to and from school. the time of day with the highest number of school bus accidents was 3:00 P.M. to 3:59 P.M., when more than 65 deaths were recorded over the period from 2006 to 2017. the second most dangerous hour was 7:00 A.M. to 7:59 A.M., when accidents caused a total of 53 fatalities.

Common Causes of School Bus Accidents in Baltimore, MD

School buses can crash for numerous reasons. In many cases, more than one cause or contributing factor leads to an accident, such as a combination of fatigue, inattention, and operator error.

When human error causes a school bus accident, and students, pedestrians, cyclists, or others are injured or killed as a result, the victims or their surviving family may be entitled to compensation. If your child’s school bus accident resulted from one of the following causes, or from other causes involving negligence and human error, you could have a case:

  • Distracted driving
  • Failure to check mirrors
  • Failure to signal
  • Failure to stop at red lights or stop signs
  • Fatigued driving
  • Following other vehicles too closely
  • Intoxicated driving
  • Speeding

What Injuries Can Result from a School Bus Crash?

Like any vehicular accident, a school bus crash can cause serious physical injuries. Occupants of other vehicles, such as cars or motorcycles, have the highest likelihood of being seriously injured or killed in a collision, followed by pedestrians, then school bus occupants. However, while the size of a school bus may offer some protection for its passengers, the lack of seatbelts and airbags simultaneously increases the risk of injury.

All types of injuries can result from a school bus accident, depending on factors like where the passengers were sitting, where the bus was impacted, and how fast the bus was traveling when the crash took place. Types of injury claims that our school bus crash lawyer in Baltimore can assist you with include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Broken bones (bone fractures)
  • Coma or loss of consciousness
  • Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
  • Cuts, bruises, and scrapes
  • Dislocated joints
  • Facial injuries
  • Injuries resulting in permanent disability or impairment
  • Injuries resulting in permanent scars
  • Internal injuries
  • Loss of a toe, finger, hand, foot, or limb
  • Loss of function or sensation in any body part or organ
  • Paralysis and spinal cord injuries (SCIs)
  • Road rash injuries, which are common in people who were ejected from vehicles
  • Soft tissue injuries, such as sprains or strains
  • Torn ligaments
  • Whiplash and other neck injuries
  • Wrongful death

Baltimore School Bus Accident Injury Attorney Offering Free Consultations

At Rice, Murtha & Psoras, we are committed to providing quality legal representation, as our strong track record demonstrates. To set up a free legal consultation, call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291, or contact us online today.