By admin on July 23, 2010
An accident on California Highway 99 in Fresno involving a Greyhound bus on its way to Sacramento from Los Angeles has left six people dead and 20 injured. The Central Valley bus crash occurred around 2 a.m. on Thursday, July 22. The Los Angeles Times reports that the bus accident began when an SUV carrying three women made a sharp left turn from the right-hand lane, collided with the median rail, rolled over and blocked the fast lane of the highway. All three women were killed.
The bus carrying 36 people hit the SUV and struck a Honda CR-V, resulting in all three vehicles going off the highway and falling down a 15-foot embankment. The Greyhound bus driver and two bus passengers were killed as a result of the collision. The driver of the CR-V was injured.
As more information unfolds regarding the deadly Fresno Greyhound bus crash, the California Highway Patrol will focus its investigation on re-creating the 24 hours in the lives of the drivers before the accident occurred.
Buses generally offer a safe and convenient means of travel. Although bus collisions are one of the most infrequent types of auto accidents, accounting for only one-half of one percent of all fatal accidents in 2006, when they do occur, the lack of seat belts and air bags in some buses can lead to catastrophic injury and even death.
The Greyhound Fresno bus accident attorneys at Panish Shea & Bolye LLP have the legal resources and knowledge to sort through the many complexities that often surround bus accident and wrongful death litigation and construct a strong and effective case for injury victims and family members of wrongful death victims. Our aggressive lawyers have obtained more than 200 verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million for our clients during what can be the most challenging time in their lives. To learn more about how we can help, please call 877-800-1700 for a free consultation.
By admin on July 22, 2010
An early morning Greyhound bus accident in the Central Valley near Fresno on July 22, 2010 claimed six lives and injured at least ten people. The LA Times reports that the bus crash is still under investigation by the California Highway Patrol. CHP officials say the accident occurred at 2:14 a.m. near the intersection of northbound State Hwy 99 and McKinley Avenue near downtown Fresno. Accident investigators report that the Greyhound bus collision occurred when the bus driver took evasive action to avoid striking an overturned sport utility vehicle. The bus struck the SUV and collided with another vehicle before striking a concrete center divider and a tree.
Investigators say the Greyhound bus left Los Angeles bound for Sacramento, carrying 47 passengers. The California bus accident killed the bus driver and five passengers and injured at least ten. The California Greyhound bus accident closed the northbound lanes of Hwy 99 at Olive Avenue while emergency response personnel investigated and cleared the accident scene.
Compared to other forms of land-based transportation, buses are generally a safe way to get from one place to another. Bus accident statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that these types of accidents comprised one-half of one percent of all fatal accidents in 2006. However, when bus collisions do occur, the results can be devastating as these vehicles often lack many common safety features such as seat belts and air bags. Without any restraints to protect them from the impact, passengers can often be thrown from their seats and suffer serious injuries that lead to permanent disabilities and even death.
Bus accident cases are often very complex and require California bus crash attorneys with the experience and resources to help victims recover fair and just compensation from the liable parties. The Fresno Greyhound bus crash lawyers at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP have decades of combined experience building effective cases for clients injured in these and other types of motor vehicle accidents. If you or a close family member has suffered an injury in a bus accident and would like answers to your questions, call 877-800-1700 today and schedule a free consultation with the California bus accident attorneys at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP.
By admin on March 5, 2010
A bus accident outside of Phoenix, Arizona has claimed the lives of six (6) individuals, while injuring the remaining sixteen (16) occupants, according to an Associated Press article. The crash occurred approximately 25 miles south of downtown Phoenix on the Gila River Indian Reservation near the community of Sacaton at 5:30am on the morning of March 5th 2010.
Authorities stated that six people were ejected from the bus after it hit a pickup truck and rolled over, causing the roof of the bus to be crushed and all of the windows to be knocked out. Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said two men and four women were killed in the Phoenix bus crash. The bus, traveling from the central Mexican state of Zacatecas to Los Angeles was operated by Tierra Santa Inc., a Van Nuys, California bus company.
In addition to the 6 deceased passengers, 9 individuals were listed in critical condition at Phoenix-area hospitals. The driver of the bus was listed in critical condition and the disposition of the remaining passengers was not immediately known.
While details of the accident have yet to be confirmed, authorities have stated that the bus hit a pickup traveling westbound on Highway 10 in the pre-dawn hours of March 5th, veered onto the left shoulder of the road, then overcorrected in the opposite direction and rolled once before landing on its wheels.
The bus accident attorneys at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP have long maintained that buses, especially tour and long distance commuter buses, which travel on our highways, are ill-equipped to protect their passengers. Despite vast knowledge in the bus industry that bus accidents like the one that happened in Phoenix occur, these buses do not have seatbelts. The U.S. National Highway Safety Bureau made seat belts mandatory equipment in passenger vehicles in the United States in 1968.Additionally, bus roof structures are not designed in such a way to protect the occupant survival space in foreseeable rollover accidents.
Details regarding this horrible Phoenix bus accident are still being uncovered and the bus accident attorneys at Panish Shea & Boyle LLP will continue to monitor new information regarding the crash as it becomes available.
By admin on October 8, 2008
A casino tour bus accident near Williams, CA on October 5, 2008 has killed 10 and injured 35, according to an LA Times report. The bus was headed to the Colusa Casino Resort in Northern California when the driver lost control. CHP Sgt. Patrick Landreth said the accident was reported at 6:18 p.m. about six miles east of Interstate 5. The casino tour bus was traveling north on Lone Star Road in Colusa County when it spun out, rolled completely over and ended up on its wheels in a ditch.
According to a second published report in the San Jose Mercury News, the driver of the tour bus, Quienten Joey Watts, 52, of Stockton is in critical condition in Woodland Memorial Hospital. He is expected to be arrested for suspected DUI, the CHP said on Monday. In addition, Officer Robert B. Kays stated that the bus had Texas license plates and an invalid registration.
Unfortunately, charter bus accidents in rural areas are not an uncommon occurrence. In the last 5 years, at least five other tour bus accidents have occurred in the California desert, injuring approximately 170 people. The bus accident attorneys at Panish, Shea and Boyle have had extensive experience litigating cases like the one that occurred on Sunday.
In a similar instance 5 months ago, the Los Angeles tour bus accident attorneys at the law firm of Panish, Shea and Boyle filed the first suit in the cases stemming from the tragic Royal American bus crash which occurred on May 17, 2008 when a charter bus traveling on a Mojave Desert freeway flipped on its side, killing a woman and injuring 22 other people.
Panish, Shea and Boyle has a strong record of recovering significant verdicts and settlements for its clients. Our attorneys have won the largest verdict in American legal history; the largest defective tire verdict in the United States; and the largest verdict ever awarded against the City and County of San Francisco. In fact, we have won more than 150 verdicts or settlements of $1 million or more, including several substantial bus accident verdicts. Contact our offices today for a free evaluation of your case.
