A Mississippi school bus driver suffered a cardiac arrest in Benton County on September 10th, 2019 and died on the wheel while transporting schoolchildren. The bus drove off Highway 72, as per Mississippi Highway Patrol Captain Johnny Poulos, and rolled completely over several times before landing in a ditch.
Eight schoolchildren were injured in the crash and were driven to a Tennessee hospital. Benton County is 50 miles from Memphis and sits along the Mississippi-Tennessee state line.
Bus Driver Suffers Cardiac Arrest
According to the authorities the children were on their way to school on Tuesday morning when the Benton County High School bus rolled over several times and overturned in a ditch. Benton County School District Superintendent, Steve Bostick, has identified the driver as Chester Cole.
Apparently, Cole suffered a major cardiac arrest which caused him to veer off the road. The bus was at the beginning of the route when the crash took place.
Schoolchildren Suffer Injuries
Students on the bus ranged between ages of 7 and 13. Bostick told the station that eight students were taken to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.
Four children had to be admitted. They were reported to be injured seriously, though not critically. The hospital’s medical director of trauma, Dr. Regan Williams, told reporters at a press conference that all children were in a stable condition.
Williams told the reporters that she was not in a position to describe the injuries. But, she could confirm that all injuries were treatable and the estimated time of recovery was between 1 and 10 days.
The remaining four children sustained minor injuries and were allowed to go home the same day.
School Bus Crashes are Catastrophic
The sheer weight and size of buses result in catastrophic injuries. As per a report by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) 1,313 people were killed in school bus related crashes between 2006 and 2015.
Filing a claim against the school county, local or state government in Mississippi can be complicated that warrants the need to retain experienced school bus accident attorneys. There are specific procedures that need to be followed and deadlines to be adhered to.
An important requirement to claim compensation is that the injured person or victim or their school bus accident lawyer should file a notice of claim prior to initiating the lawsuit. This is necessary only when suing local or state government and should be done at least 90 days before the lawsuit. The lawsuit can be filed within a year of the accident.