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Nov 19, 2008

 

SUV HITS BUS HEAD ON OUTSIDE OF MONTGOMERY ALABAMA

SUV hit bus head-on; driver killed


A SUV that collided with a Greyhound bus around 2 a.m. Friday on Interstate 65 was traveling on the wrong side of the highway when it struck the bus head-on, passengers said this morning.

The bus was bound for Mobile from Atlanta when the accident occurred just north of the Hope Hull exit, according to Capt. Huey Thornton of the Montgomery Police Department.

The bus, which had made a stop in Montgomery, was scheduled to arrive in Mobile at 4:38 a.m.

The driver of the SUV, who remained unidentified pending notification of next of kin, was killed.

The bus had front-end damage. The SUV was heavily damaged and came to rest in the median.

A portion of the interstate southbound was closed for four hours following the accident. All exits from the Selma Highway exit to the Hope Hull exit were closed to traffic.

Greyhound sent another bus to the scene to transport passengers to the hospital. Some passengers said they had to wait more than an hour before they were taken to the hospital.

There were 51 passengers and a driver on the bus. The passengers were taken to Baptist South Hospital for evaluation. Thirty-six requested treatment of minor injuries.

Greyhound has a "Friends and Family" hotline that family members can call for updates on the passengers. The number is 1-800-972-4583. The bus number is 6607.

By early morning, seven of the passengers had returned to the Greyhoud bus terminal at 950 West South Blvd. They said a tractor-trailer truck was passing the bus in the right lane, leaving the bus driver with little choice but to hit the oncoming vehicle head-on.

Some passengers said that had the driver decided to steer off the highway, the bus could have overturned and more serious injuries could have resulted.

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Truck or Bus accidents that cause injury or death are handled differently under the law compared to car and motorcycle accidents. Because trucks and busses are commercial vehicles, owned by and the responsibility of companies rather than individuals, a truck or bus driver’s conduct behind the wheel is held to more stringent standards of care than other drivers using public roadways. This means that when an accident does occur, truck and bus accident injury attorneys have the ability to obtain higher awards for their clients from trucking companies and their insurers.

Because most trucks and busses conduct interstate travel, they are governed by the regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). With public dollars, the FMCSA is tasked with defining, enforcing and fining for violations among drivers and/or owners of trucks, busses, large vans and other large vehicles.

As a Paducah Kentucky Car Wreck Lawyer and an Interstate Truck Attorney, I file these claims quite often. At DarylTDixonLaw.com, we must uncover known and unknown facts that can lead to the Prosecution of an Interstate Trucking Case or lead us not to prosecute a case for a client.

One thing is for sure, if you or a family member has been involved in a case such as this, you will want to hire a Lawyer as soon as practicable. The sooner the Attorney can start their investigation the better the chances of the outcome.

Paducah Kentucky Personal Injury Attorney Daryl T. Dixon answers questions about Car Wreck Injury and Interstate Trucking Injury cases on daily bases.
When federal government policy fails to protect citizens from inattentive, intoxicated, reckless or even unconscious truck drivers; from improperly loaded trucks, big rigs and 18-wheelers; or defects in the wheels, tires, brakes or other part of a truck itself, Daryl T. Dixon can help those injured obtain justice. For help with a truck accident injury claim in Kentucky, contact Daryl today.

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