School Bus Accidents

School bus accidents are amongst the most tragic of all motor vehicle accidents due to the inherent involvement of young children. As a result, substantial damages are often at issue in cases of this type, and vigorous representation is required to bring all responsible parties to justice. In California, a school district, county or board of education, or county superintendent of schools, or any officer or employee of such district or board may be held liable or or responsible for the conduct or safety of any pupil on a school bus. Cal Ed Code § 44808 Once a school district undertakes to provide transportation for its pupils, it has a duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances. Farley v El Tejon Unified School Dist. (1990, 5th Dist) 225 Cal App 3d 371, 274 Cal Rptr 780.

A school bus-related crash is a crash which involves, either directly or indirectly, a school bus-type vehicle, or a vehicle functioning as a school bus, transporting children to or from school or school-related activities. Since 1991 there have been about 406,000 fatal traffic crashes in the U.S. Of those, 0.33 percent (1,337) were classified as school bus-related. Since 1991, 1,479 people have died in school bus-related crashes - an average of 134 fatalities per year. Most of the people who lost their lives in those crashes (68 percent) were occupants of other vehicles involved. Nonoccupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.) accounted for 23 percent of the deaths, and school bus occupants accounted for 9 percent. Since 1991, 210 school-age pedestrians (less than 19 years old) have died in school bus-related crashes. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) were killed by school buses, 5 percent by vehicles functioning as school buses, and 30 percent by other vehicles involved in the crashes. More than half of all school-age pedestrians killed in school bus-related crashes were between the ages of 5 and 7. On average, 26 school-age pedestrians are killed by school buses (or vehicles used as school buses) each year, and 7 are killed by other vehicles involved in school bus-related crashes.

More school-age pedestrians are killed in the afternoon than in the morning, with 41 percent of the fatalities occurring in crashes between 3:00 and 4:00 PM. Between 1991 and 2001, 100 crashes occurred in which at least one occupant of a school bus or a vehicle functioning as a school bus died. More than half of those crashes (55 percent) involved another vehicle. In the 55 single-vehicle crashes, 55 occupants - 26 drivers and 45 passengers - were killed. In the 45 multiple-vehicle crashes, 20 drivers and 63 passengers died. In the 45 single-vehicle crashes, the first harmful events were as follows: striking a fixed object (23 crashes), a person falling from the vehicle (9 crashes), the vehicle overturning (8 crashes), the vehicle colliding with a train (3 crashes), and collision with object not fixed (2 crash). In 46 percent of all crashes involving fatalities to occupants of a school bus or vehicle used as a school bus, the principal point of impact was the front of the vehicle. Since 1991, 6 drivers and 15 passengers have died in school buses providing transportation for purposes other than school or school-related activities (churches, civic organizations, etc.). In 1987, one such multi-vehicle crash resulted in the deaths of 27 occupants, including the driver.

In all automobile accident cases it is essential that measures be taken promptly to preserve evidence, investigate the accident in question, and to enable physicians or other expert witnesses to thoroughly evaluate any injuries. If you or a loved one is a victim of an automobile accident, call now at or CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A SIMPLE CASE FORM. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to accept your case, we will work on a contingent fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary award or recovery of funds. Don’t delay! You may have a valid claim and be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but a lawsuit must be filed before the statute of limitations expires.