School-Transportation-Related Crashes
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines a school-transportation-related crash as a crash that involves, either directly or indirectly, a school bus body vehicle, or a non-school bus functioning as a school bus, transporting children to and from school or school-related activities.
The NHTSA report highlighting data from 2003-2013 states that since 2003, there were 348,253 fatal motor vehicle crashes, and of those crashes, 1,222 (0.35%) were school-transportation-related. The number of school-transportation-related deaths since 2003 amounted to an average of 135 each year.
The school-transportation-related fatalities include both those that are occupants of the vehicle, as well as non-occupants (pedestrians, bicyclists, etc.). Occupants of the vehicles account for approximately 8-percent of the deaths and non-occupants accounted for 21-percent. The rest of the fatalities included those individuals involved in other vehicles.
The NHTSA included a graph of the fatalities by age group with the 19+ age group having the most fatalities.
Fatalities Involving School Transportation
Fatalities involving school transportation include those outside of just individuals riding on the school transportation. As you can see from the stats above, a majority of the fatalities include individuals who are in vehicles outside of the school transportation.
Related:Â Safety Drill Leads to Death of School Bus Driver
If you or your loved one is involved in an accident that is school-transportation-related, there are several things to be aware of. Since it is school transportation, there are many entities involved when seeking a personal injury claim. It is critical to have the guidance of a legal professional as there are many steps involved. Also, when an accident like this occurs, the insurance adjusters will attempt to contact you. This is their attempt to get a statement from you that could possibly reduce the amount of your settlement.
Related:Â School Bus Accidents Injures 14
If you have a question regarding what your legal options are, call our office at 800.637.8170. We have helped countless individuals who have dealt with injuries from these types of accidents and can explain the legal steps that you should take.
