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11630 SW 97 Street, Miami, Florida 33176, US
11630 SW 97 Street, Miami, Florida 33176, US
A school bus crash on I-10 near the High Rise in New Orleans left 9 school children injured on December 18th, 2019. Bus No. 47 belonging to James Singleton Charter School overturned shortly after 7 am.
There were 15 students onboard when the bus struck the left guard rail in the westbound lanes and flipped over as stated by Orleans Parish Schools Superintendent, Henderson Lewis.
Nine Students Rushed to Emergency Room
The New Orleans Public Schools System reported that 9 students were injured in the crash and were taken to two different hospitals. 3 were taken to Children’s Hospital while 6 were taken to University Medical Center.
7 students were discharged by afternoon the same day of the bus crash. However, 2 were kept overnight as per the spokesperson. There were 5 other schoolchildren that were taken to the Children’s Hospital by their parents afterwards.
Bus Driver Cited
The bus driver, Chad Rodney, was minimally injured, but refused treatment at the accident scene. Zachary Smith, the city’s Director of Safety and Permits, reported that Rodney knew he should not have been driving the school bus after his 2016 drug conviction.
Douglas Evans, CEO of James Singleton Charter stated that Chad Rodney was fully aware about his refused permit to drive in Orleans Parish.
Rodney was cited for Equipment Violation and Careless Operation of a Motor Vehicle. NOPD report states that he has been issued municipal summons for General Inspection Required, 162-1823, Proper Certificate Required, School Bus Driver Permit Required, and School Bus Inspection Required.
The school bus owned by Hammond Transportation was found to not have been inspected since new regulations were passed by the City. Hammond Transportation failed to perform mandatory inspection and maintain the bus as per city standards.
Bus Driver and Company Are Responsible for Passenger safety
A report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that 77% risk of death can be reduced with seat belts in a bus rollover crash. It is the responsibility of the bus company and the driver to ensure passenger safety.
Bus accidents do not always take place because of bad luck as most passenger bus accident attorneys know. A vast majority of crashes are the result of negligence which means the failure to provide due care to others.
Bus accidents can occur because of driver distraction, fatigue or inexperience. It can also take place as a result of poor automotive maintenance. It takes an experienced, knowledgeable, and licensed passenger bus accident lawyer to identify all at-fault parties.
