You may be devastated upon hearing that your child was involved in a school bus accident. With this, you may want to get down to the bottom of who was responsible for this incident. Read on to discover who may be the liable party for a school bus accident and how one of the seasoned Panama City auto accident attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA can help you in identifying them.

Who may be liable for a school bus accident?

In the event that your child is involved in a school bus accident, you may be quick to blame the school bus driver. And you may be justified to blame them if any of the following scenarios are true:

  • The school bus driver was driving while distracted (i.e., texting, turning to talk to the children, etc).
  • The school bus driver was making illegal maneuvers (i.e., running a red light, not making a complete stop at a railroad crossing, etc).
  • The school bus driver was speeding or otherwise driving aggressively.
  • The school bus driver failed to conduct proper safety checks before driving (i.e., checking that seat belts were buckled, checking that a first aid kid was accessible, etc).

Though school bus drivers are commonly responsible for accidents, there are other parties you can potentially blame. For one, another driver may have been driving while distracted, making illegal maneuvers, speeding, or otherwise before colliding with a school bus. In fact, rear-end collisions are the most common type of accidents that involve school buses.

Of note, other parties that are potentially at fault may be the school district, the owner of the school bus, the manufacturer of the school bus, or otherwise a negligent third party. Or, nobody may be to blame, and an external factor like inclement weather may have triggered the accident.

What should I do after my child’s accident?

Oftentimes, it is difficult to pinpoint the responsible party for a school bus accident. For you, this is especially the case if you were not a present witness to your child’s accident.

This is why, immediately after you are notified about your child’s accident, you must contact your local law enforcement. An officer will then arrive at the scene of the accident and conduct an official investigation. Through this investigation, they will identify and report the liable party.

Once you confirm the at-fault party, you may want to consider filing a personal injury claim against them. This may be an opportunity to earn financial compensation for your child’s medical bills and other damages. With all that being said, we recommend that you consult with one of the competent Panama City personal injury attorneys as soon as possible. Schedule your free initial consultation with us today.