All across South Texas, in cities like Del Rio, San Antonio, Laredo, Corpus Christi, and Houston, commercial bus lines transport passengers from east to west across the country, or from northern Mexico to points along the southern U.S. border. Unfortunately, bus accidents along these routes are not uncommon, and they often result in moderate to severe injuries and formidable amounts of property damage.
On Easter Sunday in 2008, a Los Garcias company passenger bus traveling to Houston from Mexico crashed, killing two and injuring many others just south of San Antonio. The Los Garcias bus was carrying 32 people when it unexpectedly veered over to the right near mile marker 29. The bus accident occurred near the checkpoint on I-35, north of the city of Laredo just before 8am Sunday morning.
For over two decades, the attorneys at Carabin Shaw have been representing victims of such accidents as this, whether they were bus passengers, other drivers, or the bus driver themselves. Our goal is to make south Texas roads safer, one case at a time, doing everything we can to prevent another bus accident north of Laredo from seriously disrupting an innocent person’s life or livelihood.
What Makes Bus Accidents so Dangerous?National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics reported that 251 fatal bus accidents occurred in 2008. According to a preliminary count by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 307 people were killed in those accidents. These numbers match those seen by our auto accident lawyers. Our lawyers have studied specialized areas of the law, such as mass transit accidents, allowing us to quickly assess such situations.
Due to the fact that passenger buses weigh more than 10,000 pounds, are several times larger than most other vehicles on the highway, and have a high center of gravity, the laws of physics dictate that their mass and velocity give buses a much greater destructive potential in the event of an accident.
Additionally, not all San Antonio buses are equipped with safety restraints or airbags, thus increasing the risk of serious injury or death. Even buses that are so equipped do not always enforce federal highway standards for seatbelt use, negating the possible preventive potential of such restraints. Whether you were buckled in at the time of an accident or not is the sort of question a San Antonio insurance company representative might try to use against you. Let the lawyers at Carabin Shaw hear the full story from you and put all the relevant factors to work for the benefit of your case.
What Causes Bus Accidents?There are a number of reasons a bus accident north of Laredo might occur, such as speeding, texting and driving, talking on a cell phone, use of alcohol or drugs, unfamiliarity with the road, inexperienced operators, and aggressive driving. Buses are also frequently improperly maintained. Our knowledgeable attorneys will determine the actual cause and hold whomever was at fault responsible.
Bus drivers who are unfamiliar with the route, or who may be distracted by GPS or other electronics, can cause devastating accidents. It is the responsibility of all bus drivers to be attentive and practice safe driving every time they step on board. Ultimately, it is also the responsibility of the bus company to ensure that all drivers are qualified and properly trained to drive their buses, thereby reducing the risk of a tragedy.
Unfortunately, many bus accidents result in victims sustaining catastrophic injuries that require extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. Depending on the circumstances of the commercial bus crash, these types of injuries can include:
If you or a loved one has been injured or suffered losses in a bus accident north of Laredo, contact the law offices of Carabin Shaw for a free consultation on your case. Our San Antonio bus accident lawyers will fight for the compensation you deserve.
Call us today at 210-222-2288, or toll-free at 800-862-1260.