Moms and dads in Connecticut who send their children to school on school buses should do so with the trust and the knowledge that the people who are hired to drive these vehicles are properly trained. This training should not only include how to logistically maneuver a large school bus but also on the importance of doing so with extreme caution due to the responsibility they have when transporting so many people’s children.
Sadly it seems that at least one school bus driver was not trained in this manner. With seeming disregard for the lives on the bus being operated, a driver flipped a u-turn that was not even legal in an attempt to reverse course and get off of a freeway at the correct exit. The incident occurred in New Jersey along a stretch of Interstate 80. The result of this decision was catastrophic yet so far no criminal charges have been filed against the bus driver.
Upon making the illegal turn, the bus collided with a dump truck. The driver of that truck required hospitalization as did 43 people on board the school bus. One of the hospitalized students had to be placed in a medically induced coma. Another student and one teacher were killed in the horrific crash. One can only imagine the emotional trauma experience by the children on the bus.
After accidents like these, people might find a conversation with a lawyer a helpful way of assessing their next steps and compensation options.
Source: CBS News, “New Jersey school bus driver made illegal U-turn before deadly crash, officials say,” May 18, 2018