In Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Fatal Bus Accident, Driver & Company Had Prior Safety Problems
Investigative documents were released last week in the case of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway bus accident last year that killed 15 people and injured several others. According to the documents, as reported by Bloomberg Businessweek, this wasn’t the first problem for the bus company or the driver.
The accident occurred on March 12, 2011 as a bus full of passengers was returning from the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut. The bus flipped on the Expressway, hitting a post which sheared off the roof of the bus.
According to initial investigations, the driver said that a tractor-trailer veered into his lane and ran the bus off the road. But investigators said they couldn’t find any evidence of this claim.
The National Transportation Safety Board found in their investigation that the driver had his license suspended 18 times in past years and had been fired from two previous transportation jobs. At the time of the accident, he was shuttling passengers to and from casinos multiple times daily, catching sleep when he could. On the morning of the tragic accident, he reportedly slept on the bus from midnight to about 3:20 a.m.
The company behind the bus was given an “unsatisfactory” rating by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration after the accident and has since shut down.
The National Transportation Safety Board is expected to release the official cause of the accident at a June hearing, though indications are that driver fatigue may be cited.
Buses like the one involved in this accident are frequently used to take loads of people across state lines to the casinos. And the majority of those along for the ride assume that they will be safe, taking it for granted that the person behind the wheel has had enough rest and has gone through various safety measures and requirements from the bus company before even being hired.
Twenty-eight people died in similar bus accidents last year. These fatal accidents have garnered new attention by the U.S. Transportation Department and Congress on bus safety.
There are safeguards in place that are intended to keep journeys like these safe. But accidents happen. If you are injured while riding a bus or even on a train, the company behind the accident should be held responsible for your resulting injuries and costs.
The attorneys with Omrani & Taub may be able to help you achieve this compensation, allowing you to focus on healing rather than how you will be able to pay for treatment.
Contact our offices today at 212-LAW-SUIT to discuss the specifics of your case and how we might be able to help.
