Much has been said in the media recently about winter in the South. Many southern cities are unaccustomed to coping with the large amounts of snow that have been dumped on them this year. In an abundance of caution, school systems often choose to close school even before wintry conditions begin. During the closing of one North Carolina school, a collision between a car and a bus sent three students to the hospital.
The collision happened around noon on a recent Monday. Students were leaving school before an anticipated winter storm arrived. Reports indicate that a school bus, driven by a 60-year-old man, attempted to make a left turn into the path of a car. The car struck the left side of the bus.
While neither the driver or students on the bus were injured, the three occupants of the car were transported to an area hospital for treatment. All are expected to survive. Although school was dismissed due to impending weather, a representative from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol claims the accident was not caused by the weather. The bus driver has now been cited for failure to yield and suspended as a result of the citation.
A collision like this can often have a significant financial impact on those who are injured. Treatment in a hospital, potentially followed by an extended recovery period and rehabilitation, can result in mounting medical bills and lost wages. Others in North Carolina who have found themselves in a similar situation have chosen to seek monetary damages in a civil court. If they can prove the driver’s negligence caused the accident, they could receive an award for monetary damages for expenses stemming from the accident.
Source: The Herald-Sun, Three hurt in crash with Durham school bus, Wes Platt, March 3, 2014