Complex Matters Involved in Bus Accident Cases

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Is traveling via mass transit more convenient for you? Do you much prefer regularly riding in buses when going to your place of destination instead of taking your own vehicle?

Then you should know the risks involved and the matters that you may become involved with if ever the public transportation vehicle you are riding on encounters an accident.

While mass transit may be a tad safer than driving in your own vehicle, especially if you are still an inexperienced and unfamiliar of the roads accidents may occur that could bring complicated matters.

Low speed accidents do not have such a big impact on the bus and its passengers due to its typical size and weight. However, if a high speed collision occurs then it may have a great impact on the passengers of the bus since their seats are usually unrestrained. Often, severe multiple injuries may even be sustained especially if the impact of crash or collision causes the bus to roll, go off the road, or catch fire.

If you become involved in a bus accident and file a claim for damages against those who may be liable for the incident, here are several of the complicated matters you may have to face up with.

o Governmental Immunity - often, buses are being operated behind a governmental authority, such as a public school or municipality.

Given this, even if it was identified that the bus driver was the one at fault, an attempt may be made in order to avoid you and the other injured persons during the accident from being compensated. Governmental immunity laws are protecting the liable person. These laws have considerable variations in every state and they can be difficult to understand.

If your case involves governmental immunity, make sure to consult with a vehicle accident lawyer with specialized knowledge in this matter and practicing on the jurisdiction where your accident happened.

o Accidents on School Buses

Serious injuries on school bus accidents may occur on situations such as:

- boarding and disembarking of passengers -passing motorists sometimes disregard the signals indicated in the school bus, unsafe way of crossing by the children from the bus, driver of the bus lost track of a child passenger and then prematurely turns off the vehicle's signals or accidentally hits the child with the bus itself.

- Collision accidents involving the school bus with other motor vehicles

- Highway and traffic accidents

Nowadays, the more modern designed school buses have a noteworthy element providing passive restraint on its seat design. The seats are made in such a way that injury will be minimized and avoid a child from being thrown out from the seat during a collision or be struck into the other seat in front of them.

If your child happens to become involved in such accidents on his / her school bus, make sure to talk with an attorney regarding the governmental immunity policy.

o Fifteen passenger vans - although, cannot really be considered a bus, since it is usually used as a public transportation vehicle, then if an accident happened, make sure that your vehicle accident lawyer investigate well on its causes. You may have a potential product liability case against the vans' manufacturer because of a rollover accident.

o Fraud concerns - pre-conditioned or scam accidents staged by con - artists. If this case is suspected, the accident is usually investigated of pre-existing elements. It would be difficult to establish claims in these cases.

Be more informed about the other matters involved in bus accidents with the help of California Vehicle Accident Attorneys and Los Angeles Lawyers.

Memphis Matters - "What Are You Going to Do About It?"

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At my daughter's swim practice one evening I found myself in discussion with a couple of other concerned dads. Memphis, with all it's history, music, food, Tiger basketball and Elvis, we can't seem to get out of the top 5 list. We are still in the top 5 most dangerous cities in America. Even though the city pulled the plug on A&E's show The First 48, reruns will be aired for a long time. Turn on your television and no matter which of the local news stations you watch, no news is good news. Murder, carjacking, the failing city schools, crooked politicians and some other depressing bit is all they seem to talk about these days.

As we debated poolside, we determined that the need for positive press for our city is more than needed, but could in fact be the answer. All three of us Memphians, concerned dads and contributors to our local economy agreed. This is our town, our home and we want so desperately for things to get better, but how?

In Malcolm Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point he writes how epidemics spread both good and bad. In the 1980s Gladwell explains how crime in New York had reached an all time high with well over 2,000 murders and 600,000 serious felonies a year. Underground, on the subways, conditions could only be described as perilous.

Gladwell writes, "This was New York City in the 1980s, a city in the grip of one of the worst crime epidemics in its history. But then, suddenly and without warning, the epidemic tipped. From a high in 1990, the crime rate went into precipitous decline. Murders dropped by two-thirds. Felonies were cut in half. Other cities saw their crime drop in the same period. But in no place did the level of violence fall farther or faster than NYC. On the subway, by the end of the decade, there were 75% fewer felonies than there had been at the decade's start." - The Tipping Point.

How did New York go from having the highest crime rates in the country to one of the safest big cities in America? One theory mentioned in The Tipping Point was the 'Broken Window Theory'. Criminologists James Q. Wilson and George Kelling developed this theory and based their argument on this premise - that crime is the inevitable result of disorder. If a window is broken and left unrepaired, onlookers will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge. Soon, more windows are broken, and the sense of anarchy will spread from the building to the street on which it faces, sending a signal that anything goes. In a city, relatively minor problems like graffiti, public disorder, and aggressive panhandling are equivalent to the 'Broken Window' theory.

George Kelling was hired by New York City's transit authority as a consultant in the 1980s. He took his 'Broken Window' theory to the subways and the transit authority later hired a guy named David Gunn, who took Kelling's theory and cleaned up the subway system. The graffiti clean up took 6 years to complete in NYC, from 1984 to 1990. Once the subways were clean they later hired the transit police who would nab fare-beaters and handcuff them to a chain gain until that had a "full catch." The idea was to signal, as publicly as possible, that the transit police were cracking down.

After Rudy Giuliani's election as mayor in 1994, he ordered the police department to take the same strategy that had been used in the subway and take it to the streets. It worked. As they cleaned graffiti from the subways, the next day a car would be vandalized again. But without fail the transit authority would clean up car by car immediately until the gangs and thugs finally gave up. New York City is now one of the safest big cities in America. People like George Kelling, David Gunn, and Rudy Giuliani won the war on crime in the Big Apple...they took their subways and streets back.

As I look at Memphis, I can't be one who complains, but one who commits. As my friend Vick said poolside, "Every time I hear someone complaining about Memphis, I just ask them. What are you going to do about it?" Those words hit home to me. I have been guilty of complaining about our politicians, complaining about overcrowded prisons or just complaining to complain. Vick is right. We (Memphians) all need to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves, "What are you going to do about it?" Complaining only solidifies the problem. Individual commitment to make Memphis a better place can tip the epidemic the other direction.

As you read this, you may be asking yourself: "I am not a police officer, mayor or a transit authority employee. How can I make a difference?" My answer would be to start with positive press in your home, workplace, network and community. Don't fall victim to negative Memphis-bashing pander around the water cooler. Instead look for ways to get involved....look for a 'Broken Window' and fix it.

I attend a church that meets at Crichton College off Highland Avenue. What drew me and my family to this church was not just the music or casual dress code, but their authenticity and dedication to Memphis. Fellowship Memphis is a church committed to Memphis, urban development, racial reconciliation and healing in our community. They don't play church on Sundays...they walk the walk. They saw a broken window in Kingsbury High School. They saw a school where only 55% of the 2006-2007 seniors passed their math exit exam and could not graduate. They saw 45% of students who were left behind. Fellowship's membership volunteered as tutors at Kingsbury and in 2008, 95% of the seniors passed their math exit exam and graduated.

Wow...what a story! Did you hear this on any of the local news stations? Of course not. As I stated before, good news is no news. Therefore if you truly want a change in Memphis, it is going to take more people like those found at Fellowship Memphis. Little things can make a big difference...those little things can spread...start an epidemic, but it starts with you. "What are you going to do about it?"

To learn more about Fellowship Memphis and how to get involved with their 'Engage Memphis' ministry, click on the following link:

[http://fellowshipmemphis.org/ministries/engagememphis.htm]

-Jimmy Veteto, Memphian

http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/