Woman In SUV Injured In Chico School bus Accident By The Intersection of Cohasset Road and East Avenue
CHICO, CALIFORNIA (February 21, 2023) – A woman was injured in a Chico car accident when her SUV was hit by a school bus near Cohasset Road and East Avenue.
Butte County officials are saying that the collision took place around 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday. A woman driving an SUV was broadsided by a short Chico Unified School District school bus under unclear circumstances.
Photos of the accident showed the SUV with significant side damage. Paramedics were called to the scene and took the woman to the hospital.
A full investigation into the collision remains ongoing at this time.
Liability For Chico School Bus Accidents
School buses are very safe for their passengers. But they can be quite dangerous for people in passenger vehicles. According to one report by the National Safety Council, around 70% of the fatalities with school buses involve people in passenger vehicles. Another 16% involve pedestrians. There are a number of factors that make school buses uniquely dangerous.
- School buses have large blind spots that can obscure the presence of smaller vehicles.
- School buses weigh substantially more than passenger vehicles.
- School buses take much longer to stop than smaller vehicles.
School buses are considered common carriers and their drivers are thus expected to drive with the utmost care. Pursuant to Squaw Valley Ski Corp. v. Superior Court (1992) 2 Cal.App.4th 1499, 1507, “This elevated standard of care for common carriers has its origin in English common law. It is based on a recognition that the privilege of serving the publicas a common carrier necessarily entails great responsibility, requiring common carriers to exercise a high duty of care towards their customers.” Driving a bus is substantially more difficult than driving a smaller vehicle.
Many bus collisions are due to bus drivers that make dangerous turns. According to California Vehicle Code 22107, no person shall turn a vehicle right or left upon a roadway unless such a movement can be made with reasonable safety. If a school bus driver was negligent and caused a crash, the company or school district that they worked for could be held at fault. Victims of bus accidents often suffer very serious injuries including:
- Broken bones
- Head injuries
- Lacerations
- Spinal cord injuries
The FMCSA requires buses that can carry 16 or more passengers to have at least $5,000,000 worth of liability coverage. Any person that is injured in a school bus accident may have legal recourse through a bodily injury claim. Damages in a civil claim can help cover lost wages, medical bills and pain and suffering. A bus accident attorney can examine the unique facts of your case and let you know what your legal options are.
Investigating A California School Bus Accident
We at TorkLaw extend our best wishes to the woman injured in this collision. It is our sincere hope that she is able to make a full recovery. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to the police. There needs to be a thorough investigation into what went wrong.
Have you or someone that you care about been injured in a Chico school bus collision? You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Our personal injury attorneys are here to help in any way that we can. We care deeply that accident victims are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of support after a collision we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at (888) 441-4991.
