When parents in Pittsburgh allow their children to ride a school bus, they are putting an inordinate amount of trust in others. While most school buses are driven safely and with vigilance and the bus company makes sure that the drivers are qualified and cautious, there can still be accidents. A bus accident can be even more dangerous than a conventional motor vehicle accident. With children involved, it can turn into an incident with injuries and fatalities. Some of these accidents do not involve other vehicles, but stem from the bus running off the road.
According to a recent report, a bus accident sent many children onboard to the hospital for treatment. The accident happened in the afternoon at approximately 3 p.m. According to the school district, there were 40 children on the bus and all were checked after the crash. The investigation by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says that the bus hit a cushion at the end of a barrier and then crashed into a guardrail. It then rolled down the hill on the side of the road and overturned. 22 of the students went to the hospital via another bus. 12 went straight home after their parents picked them up. Six were taken via ambulance. The children were all released from the hospital.
It might sound strange, but accidents in which there are clear injuries are sometimes easier to deal with than accidents which might have “soft-tissue” injuries, which are not as obvious. The former might have cuts, bruises, broken bones, back injuries, head injuries and more. These will require medical care, hospitalizations, rehabilitation and perhaps long-term care. This will lead to major medical bills and other costs. The latter might not show until long after the accident. When people are in a crash and are not believed to have serious injuries, it is still important to look into any potential injuries.
Most of the children in this recent accident were checked out and the injuries were not believed to be serious, but that does not mean they will not have lingering effects from the accident, which may require the parties to file a legal case for compensation.