New York residents may have heard about the March 13 bus accident that killed the bus driver and left many school students and adults injured. The charter bus was transporting a group of band students and adult chaperones back home after a trip to Disney World when it went over an embankment and into a ravine near the Florida-Alabama border.
The First Class Tours charter bus was one of two that was taking the students and chaperones from Texas back home after the band trip. The other bus arrived home safely on Tuesday. The bus that was involved in the accident was carrying 40 students and six adults. It was crushed on impact when it plunged into the ravine. It took rescue workers three hours to get everyone out of the bus. The driver died at the scene.
One hospital in Florida reported treating 20 of the crash victims. Sixteen teenagers were taken to multiple health facilities in Alabama. Many victims were treated and released, but at least a dozen were still hospitalized later in the afternoon on the day of the crash.
There was no immediate word on what caused the accident. An investigation will be conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board. Records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration show that buses belonging to First Class Tours have been involved in four other accidents in the previous two years.
Someone who is injured in a bus accident may be able to file a personal injury complaint against the bus company. In New York, many people use buses that are owned by the Metro Transit Authority. When an MTA vehicle is involved in a mass transit accident, injured parties have the same right to file a personal injury or wrongful death claim, but there are stricter guidelines and time limits when filing a claim against a municipality.