The Orange County
Highway 101 tour bus accident that occurred on April 28, 2009 was carrying French tourists when the bus crashed through the overpass barrier and rolled over, killing three passengers at the scene of the accident, according to the L.A. Times. Several passengers and the bus driver were ejected from the bus both onto the freeway and the street and railroad tracks approximately 60 feet below. While investigators continue to find the cause of the fatal crash, several passengers remain hospitalized in critical condition. The death toll may rise even higher than the
three passengers killed at the scene of the crash and two other passengers that later died in the hospital, along with the driver that was killed.
Ehline Law would first and foremost like to send out their deepest sympathies and prayers to the injured victims and their families of this awful bus accident. It is distressing to our firm the families of the deceased victims of the crash are suffering their loss. Our prayers go out to the injured victims that are fighting for their lives in area hospitals, while their families make arrangements to get to these hospitals as quickly as possible. We pray for these injured victims swift and full recovery.
The Orange County based bus according to California Highway Patrol officials had 34 French national passengers on board the bus, one Canadian guide and the American bus driver on an eight-day tour. The sightseeing tour began in Los Angeles, when the accident occurred; they were en-route from San Francisco to Santa Maria. According to CHP officials, there was no other vehicle involved in the accident and at least four of the French passengers were under 18 years of age.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has statistics showing that during the year 2007, there were 15,888 injuries involving bus accidents in the United States and a total of 322 deaths. There were 278 buses that were involved in accidents where there were fatalities.
This leads to many questions about the Soledad crash, such as how did the driver lose control? Was the accident caused by the fact that there was a mechanical malfunction, a
defective product? Could the driver have been over tired or could he have been distracted? Is possible he was under the influence or ill?
It does not matter if a bus company is private or public; they owe their passengers under the law the standard of the “maximum amount of care.” They have a responsibility to transport their passengers safely. When an accident is caused by failure to maintain the bus, driver’s negligence or error, the tour bus company and the driver could be held responsible for the accident. Any of these situations includes the driver and the bus company being held liable for passenger injuries or fatalities. The manufacturer of a defective product of the bus can also be held liable.
While the injured victims and deceased victims of this tour bus crash were French nationals and not U.S. citizens the injured victims will still be able to file
personal injury claims and the families of the deceased will be able to file wrongful death claims. These claims can either be done in the California state courts or in the federal courts. The injured victims and the families of the deceased victims would be well guided in seeking the services of an accomplished
California bus accident attorney. Who will be able to explain the laws, the legal process, and their rights as injured victims of the crash or as the family of one of the fatally injured passengers, with a wrongful death claim. This skilled Orange County attorney can explain how to get assistance with medical care and other expenses that will be incurred, because of this tragic tour bus crash.
The accomplished law firms provide free, confidential and comprehensive consultations, and they also advise the victims and their families not to give any statements to anyone. The injured victims and families should not talk to or give statements to investigators or adjustors; they should not sign any documents or releases without the representation of an accomplished California bus accident personal injury attorney. Ehline Law,
tour bus accident attorneys Soledad, is pleased to provide free comprehensive consultations to any of the passengers or their family of this tour bus accident.
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