Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bus Accident Lawyer|Common Causes of Bus Accidents

Greyhound Bus Accident on the Pennsylvania Turnpike

The commercial bus industry has grown rapidly in the past several years. In times of economic stress, commercial bus travel is an inexpensive alternative to flying or traveling by car. With the increase in commercial bus travel, there has also been an increase in the number of bus accidents across the country. These types of bus accidents can cause catastrophic and life-altering injuries due to the speed of travel on highways, lack of seat belts for passengers and the size of the bus relative to other cars on the road.

Just this morning, a Greyhound bus crashed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike near Harrisburg.  Fortunately there were no fatalities, but there are several reports of injuries.

The common causes of commercial bus accidents vary greatly and in most instances, a combination of factors contribute to a bus accident. Some of the most common causes include:

• driver fatigue and inattention
  
• driver inexperience
• speeding/aggressive driving
• distracted driving (cell phone use, texting, etc.)
  
• drug/alcohol use
• lack of or inadequate fatigue management programs
• lack of or inadequate training programs
• lack of proper bus maintenance
• highway design issues

The United States Department of Transportation, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates the commercial bus industry. According to the FMCSA's Greyhound Lines Inc. (USDOT #44110) Company Snapshot, Greyhound buses logged nearly 163 million miles in 2009.  Greyhound Lines Inc. also reported 153 accidents to the FMCSA for the 24 month period prior to August 12, 2011.  Of the reported 153 accidents, there were 79 injuries and 6 fatalities. According to logs available at FMCSA's website, since January, 2011, Greyhound drivers were cited nearly 70 times for various traffic violations, including speeding.

Bus accident victims often suffer catastophic and life-altering injuries.  The Megabus accident of 2010 is another example of a tragic commercial bus accident.  The Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at White and Williams LLP currently represent one of the severely injured Megabus accident victims.  If you or a loved one have been injured in a commercial bus accident in Pennsylvania or New Jersey,  call the experienced bus accident lawyers at White and Williams LLP for a free consultation.  1.877.944.8396

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