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Personal Injury and Wrongful Death

Tour Bus Accident Injury and Death

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Our attorneys represent clients nationwide in tour bus accident injury and death cases and have won millions for accident victims and their families. Call toll free 1-888-377-8900.

Tour Bus Driver Negligence
and Violation of Federal and State Law

Tour bus accidents are often caused by driver negligence, including texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, being too tired to drive safely, not paying attention to the road or other vehicles on the road, driving while intoxicated, or just simply driving poorly.

In addition to negligence, a driver may have violated federal or state laws:

Hours of Driving. Federal laws limit charter bus drivers from driving more than 10 hours at a time. The laws, which have been adopted by most states, require drivers to take eight hours off in a work cycle where they drive 10 hours.
DUI or DWI. Federal and state laws address the issue of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Speeding. In every state there are laws regarding the speed limit. States often require buses and other commercial vehicles to drive at slower speeds.
Turning and Passing. All states have turning and passing laws. Some states have special laws for buses and other commercial vehicles.
Right of Way. All states have right-of-way laws, and the violation of these laws is one of the primary causes of bus accidents and other commercial vehicle accidents.
Failure to Pay Attention. Bus drivers are held to a higher standard both in case law and statutory law. Some states have specific laws requiring bus drivers and other commercial vehicles to use extra caution and pay more attention to what is happening around them. Also, pedestrians, people in wheel chairs and others are given extra protection in some states, which require all drivers to pay special attention to them.

This is important: if a driver violates this or any other state or federal law, that driver will most likely be found negligent, and the driver, his or her employer, and the owner of the bus will be legally responsible to compensate injury victims and their families. Usually, the insurance companies pay settlement and verdict amounts.

Settlement and verdict amounts may include compensation for any of the following (past and future amounts where appropriate):

Medical expenses
Lost wages
Lost future earnings
Pain and suffering
Disability
Emotional distress
Disfigurement
Loss of quality of life
Funeral expenses
Loss of care and comfort
Other damages

Tour (Charter) Bus Accident News

New York Chinatown Bus Accident: 15 people were killed in a crash involving a motor coach owned by World Wide Travel of Greater New York and driven by Ophadell Williams, a convicted felon. The bus was traveling from Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Connecticut to New York's Chinatown when it flipped on its side and had its roof shorn off. The bus driver initially told the police that a passing semi tractor-trailer had clipped the World Wide Tours bus he was driving, causing him to lose control. But after interviewing the driver of the semi truck, the police are treating him as a witness, not a suspect, in their criminal investigation. Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/12/us-crash-bus-idUSTRE72B2EK20110312.

New Jersey Turnpike Bus Accident: A bus crashed March 14 on the New Jersey Turnpike, killing the driver and another person and injuring 41 others. The bus, owned by Super Luxury Tours Inc., of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., slammed into a guard rail and a concrete abutment while traveling south on the turnpike in East Brunswick. The bus had left from Manhattan’s Chinatown bound for Philadelphia. Troy Nguyen, 20, of Royersford, Pa., a passenger, died of head injuries at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. Super Luxury Tours often rents out its buses to marketing companies that run the so-called Chinatown bus services. Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/03/15/another-chinatown-bus-in-fatal-crash/?mod=google_news_blog

Wisconsin Tour Bus vs. Semi Accident: One woman is dead and four people are injured after a tour bus and an 18-Wheeler crashed in Herman, WI (Dodge County) Saturday night. The accident involved a semi truck and tour bus. The bus flipped twice after the semi driver failed to yield to the bus at the intersection of Highway 33 and Highway P. Two people were in the truck, the driver, Kellie Bridges, and a female passenger, Shomari Jackson. They were both airlifted to the hospital. Janet Wickert of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a passenger on the bus, died in the crash. another passenger, Patricia Kidd of Milwaukee, was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa. The bus driver, John Olshanski of Milwaukee, was transported to St Josephs Hospital in West Bend. Read more: http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/117892749.html (March 12).

Wisconsin Tour Bus Accident
On August 4, 2009, a tour bus carrying 20 Special Olympics athletes crashed into a guardrail and tipped over. One of the passengers had to be flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in Neenah because of concern over internal injuries. The other passengers were also injured.

Attorney Video: Bus Accident Investigation

Minnesota Charter Bus Accident
A tour bus carrying Pelican Rapids High School band students crashed, killing Jessica Weishair, a sophomore at Pelican Rapids High School, and injuring several others, who were transported to area hospitals. According to news reports, one adult and three students remained hospitalized Sunday night.

Our law firm represents people injured in tour bus accidents througout the United States. To contact our bus accident attorneys, please call toll free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the free case consultation form.

States: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Boston, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

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Bus Accident News and Topics

Drunk Driver Accident Results in Amputation

Attorney Fred Pritzker won $6,000,000 for a passenger whose right leg was seriously injured in an accident caused by a drunk driver. Her leg was amputated. If your case involves a drunk driver, you may have a dram shop claim against a bar or restaurant.

Accident Wrongful Death

Our law firm recently won $2,850,000 for a family whose loved one was killed instantly in an accident. The families of passengers killed in a bus accident have a wrongful death claim. A parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew can file the claim, but all of the next of kin share the money won in a settlement or verdict.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Elliot Olsen obtained a $2,750,000 recovery for a 59 year-old man who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), the loss of his left eye and significant disfigurement in an accident.

Semi Truck Collision

Pritzker Olsen attorneys Fred Pritzker and Eric Hageman recently obtained a hard-fought $2,560,000 recovery for a couple who were seriously injured in a semi-truck crash. The husband suffered serious head injury (TBI).

Tour Bus Rear Ended by Semi, I-70 Grand County, Utah

Two people were airlifted to a hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado after the tour bus they were in was rear ended by a semi truck on I-70 in Utah, near the Colorado border. The tour bus was transporting a Mexican band and crew. Eleven other bus passengers sustained injury.

Fatal Chinatown Bus Wrongful Death Accidents

15 people were killed in a Bronx, New York, crash involving a motor coach owned by World Wide Travel of Greater New York. Two people died in a bus crash on the New Jersey Turnpike. The bus was owned by Super Luxury Tours Inc., of Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Both buses had left from New York's Chinatown.

Mora Minnesota Child Hit Getting on School Bus

A Mora, MN 6-year-old child was hit while crossing the street to get on a school bus on Wednesday. The child was airlifted to a metro hospital with serious injuries.

18-Wheeler Hit School Bus Head-On in Gaston, Oregon

A southbound school bus had stopped to pick-up children Tuesday morning when a northbound semi truck crashed into the front of the school bus. About 20 high school students and elementary students were on the bus. Nearly half of the students were injured and transported to a local hospital.

The accident happened 4 miles south of Gaston on Highway 47 (Tualatin Valley Highway), near Wapato School Road. The school bus had stopped and had its warning lights flashing, according to the Oregon State Patrol.

18-Wheeler vs. Tour Bus Crash

One woman is dead and four people are injured after a tour bus and an 18-Wheeler crashed in Herman, WI (Dodge County) Saturday night. The accident involved a semi truck and tour bus. Read more: http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/117892749.html (March 12).

This is attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The result of each case is determined by the specific facts and the applicable law.