Five people were killed and two others were critically injured in an accident involving a MARTA bus and a Nissan in Atlanta. The head-on crash occurred two days ago on Bolton Road just south of Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway around 10:45 pm as per Atlanta Police.
There were seven passengers in the Nissan out of which only two survived. The five victims included a woman, her two toddlers, and two teenage girls. Only a 12-year-old passenger and a 32-year-old driver managed to survive the crash.
Victims Died At the Accident Scene
Atlanta police said that Kareema Floyd, a 22 year old mother with her two children aged 4 and 19 months was instantly killed. The surviving victims were rushed to Grady Memorial hospital in critical condition.
Kareema Floyd’s mother, Shauntia Floyd, told Channel 2 Action News that her daughter was a very sweet person who loved her kids. She was also pregnant with another child. The police woke up the entire family around 2 in the morning with the devastating news.
Atlanta police Captain F. Turner quoted that in his 25 years on the PD he had never witnessed a more terrible accident.
Initial Investigation Reveal the Cause of the Crash
Investigators at the crime scene explained that eye witness reports claim the Nissan Sentra’s driver to have lost control and crossed over the center lane right into oncoming traffic. The car soon collided with the MARTA bus. Police are still investigating the cause of the accident.
No passengers were harmed on the MARTA bus, but the bus driver was taken to a nearby hospital for minor injuries. There was a second car that collided into the bus after the collision. However, Atlanta police claims that the two people in the second car were unharmed.
Special Regulations in Place for Accident with Government Vehicles
There are special rules that govern accidents with government vehicles like MARTA or other public buses. City bus accident attorneys explain that legal principle of “sovereign immunity” generally comes into effect in such cases. This basically means that an accident victim can win damages from the government only in a limited number of situations.
Plaintiff will be awarded financial compensation only when criminal behavior or gross negligence is proved. Fortunately, in most cases these can be proved by experienced city bus accident lawyers. It’s necessary to file a claim against the responsible party as quickly as possible. The statute of limitations for bus accident claims against the government is shorter than others in the state of Georgia.