A 5-year-old boy slipped under a school bus this morning and was run over. The Star Tribune reported that the boy was waiting for the school bus with his mother at E. 32nd Street and Elliot Avenue.

Minneapolis police spokesman Bill Palmer told the Star Tribune, "When the driver pulled up, the mother asked him whether it was her son's bus. When he told her it wasn't, they stepped back, the driver closed the door, looked around and started to move."

The boy apparently slipped on ice and the bus rolled over him, Palmer told the Star Tribune.

The boy survived the accident, but is in serious condition, suffering a broken leg and broken pelvis, injuries that required surgery.

This accident may result in slip and fall claims. Municipalities and other governmental bodies are provided some immunity from liability for injuries arising from slips and falls on slippery streets and sidewalks, meaning most of the time they are not liable for these injuries. But there are exceptions to their immunity. In a recent Minnesota case involving slip and fall on ice and snow, the court stated that immunity “does not protect the municipality in the case where an accumulation of ice and snow is negligently permitted to remain for such a length of time as to cause the formation thereon by artificial means, of slippery and dangerous ridges, depressions and irregularities to such an extent as to render the street or sidewalk dangerous and unsafe for use”. Read about Minnesota slip and fall on ice and snow.

This Minneapolis school bus accident may also involve claims against the driver of the bus, the bus company and others. Buses are common carriers and are obligated to provide a higher level of safety. They fit into the same category as trains and planes. Liability issues in bus accidents often involve driver negligence, driver training, dangerous roadways and weather conditions. Read Minnesota bus accident attorney information.

Posted February 25, 2009.

Labels: Minneapolis accident lawyers, Minnesota bus accident, Minnesota slip and fall law