In a Valentine’s Day bus accident, the driver of a Ford pickup truck rear-ended a school bus and struck an SUV in Orange County, Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel. At the time of the collision, the school bus was stopped to let children off.
Fortunately, neither the four children on-board the bus, nor the bus driver, were hurt. The pickup driver and his passenger did sustain minor injuries and were taken to the hospital. The SUV driver received some minor injuries as well.
Although this particular pickup truck was following too closely, many Florida motorists illegally pass school buses on a daily basis, creating a scenario in which pedestrian accidents become likely. There are nearly 9,000 illegal “pass-bys” of school buses every day in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
According to Florida law, you must:
- Stop when approaching a school bus with flashing red lights displayed and its stop sign extended.
- Not pass the school bus on the right or left sides until the light signals have ceased and the sign has been withdrawn.
Negligent drivers cause car accidents every day. Motorists who choose to drive carelessly threaten the safety and wellbeing of our children and ourselves, and the injuries caused can lead to considerable expense and emotional turmoil. In this rear-end accident, not only was the driver of the pickup truck ticketed for careless driving, he was also ticketed for driving with a suspended license and without insurance.
If you live in Orlando or the surrounding Florida areas and have been injured in a car accident that was not your fault, please contact experienced injury attorney Michael V. Barszcz, M.D., J.D., to schedule a consultation.