Back in August, a bus accident in Merced County left four people dead and 23 injured. In the months to come, there will be many questions about this accident. As the victims and the loved ones of the deceased come to terms with their injuries and losses, we can only hope that the answers will come and that those who are entitled to recovery of damages find a personal injury attorney who can help. If you’re in a similar situation, please reach out to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.
Details of the accident
The accident involved a charter bus that was traveling to Sacramento. It was on Highway 99 when it collided with a freeway sign pole. According to the highway patrol, the accident occurred around 3 a.m. The busy was going north, near Liberty Avenue in the town of Livingston, when it hit the pole and that pole cut through the bus for almost half the length of the bus. It was the right side of the bus that was most damaged, as the pole went straight through the row of seats on that side.
Almost everyone on the bus was injured
As we mentioned above, there were 23 people injured and four people lost their lives. That’s concerning in any situation, but when you consider that there were only 30 people on board, you can see just how serious this accident was. Six of the victims were airlifted to a local hospital and about 15 others were taken away in ambulances. According to reports, there were all types of injuries including head injuries, amputations, and neck injuries.
More about the bus company
Of course, all eyes are on the bus company to find out the cause of the accident. The bus in question was registered to Autobuses Coordinados USA. It had started tin Mexico and was going all the way to Washington State, with a few stops, including L.A., Livingston, and Sacramento. This was the first accident that the bus company has been involved in, though it was fined in 2015 for not ensuring the safety of all the parts of their vehicle.
Since 2014, the company has gotten more than 22 vehicle maintenance violations, according to federal inspectors. Eight of these violations were so serious that inspectors took the buses out of service. In three of those cases, brakes were involved.
The specific bus in question was inspected in April and was found to have “no or defective brake warning device.” In short, this means it didn’t have a brake light. Two months before that, this specific bus was taken out of service because the driver didn’t have a valid license.
As you can see, there are some serious concerns with this particular bus and with the bus company. At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we hope that those impacted will work with a personal injury attorney who can help them get the justice they need. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, please reach out to us at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.
