On February 3, 2013, 42 people were on a bus heading back to Philadelphia after a trip to visit Harvard University. Passengers included both students and chaperones. Unfortunately, the driver in the bus accident made a dangerous decision that led to a serious accident.

Our Boston bus accident lawyers believe that this serious bus accident serves as an important reminder to bus drivers everywhere that they must exhibit a reasonable degree of care when they are operating their vehicles. Those chartering buses should also be careful to do their research and to make sure the bus company has a good reputation for safety.

The Boston Bus Accident
The February 3 Boston bus accident, reported by NPR, occurred after the driver failed to pay attention to Maximum Height signs that were located on the road. The signs indicated that no vehicles more than 10 feet high would have clearance. The bus, however, was more than 10 feet high. The driver failed to deviate from his route despite the warning that the bus wouldn't fit.

Unfortunately, when the bus reached Soldier's Field Road, it hit the overpass that prevented clearance of vehicles taller than 10 feet. The center front section of the roof of the bus was crushed inwards and severe damage was sustained to the bus. The passengers were, unfortunately, trapped inside of the vehicle. For more than one hour, rescue workers attempted to remove the passengers inside through the top of the vehicle.

More than 30 people in total were injured in the crash, including students and chaperones. Everyone was stranded on the bus for almost two hours and some sustained life-threatening injuries as a result of the crash.

Protecting Yourself from Boston Bus Accidents
Unfortunately, this tragic Boston bus accident likely could have been prevented if the driver of the vehicle had simply paid proper attention and obeyed the road signs warning of the impending danger. The driver's failure to follow the signs was the direct cause of at least 30 injuries. Bus drivers must exercise reasonable care, must pay attention to road signs at all times and must make smart choices that keep their passengers safe in order to avoid accidents like this one.

Those chartering a bus, however, can also take some steps to do their part to ensure their own safety. One of the most important things that passengers can do before chartering a bus is to take advantage of the resources provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has an entire section of its website dedicated to safely chartering a bus. The site includes a safety checklist; tips for picking a safe company and information on how to obtain the safety records of charter bus companies that you are considering working with.

Before you charter a bus for your next trip or special event, you should consult with the FMCSA to determine if the bus company you are considering has a satisfactory rating. If the company does not and its rating is conditional instead, this means the company has had some safety violations. Hiring a bus company with past safety violations is not a chance you want to take.

If you've been injured, call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone.

Our Boston auto accident attorneys believe that understanding the causes of car accidents in Massachusetts is very important so that people can be aware of risky driving practices and can modify their behavior. There are a lot of common car accident causes that get attention, including drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving or using a cell phone. Recently, however, one other very dangerous driving behavior has been making headlines: drowsy driving.

The dangers of drowsy driving are well-established, but new studies are demonstrating just how widespread the problem of fatigued driving is. Since a drowsy driver who is driving after having been awake for 20-21 hours can present just as much of a risk as a driver with a BAC of .08, it is essential that people become aware of the dangers of drowsy driving and make a commitment to refrain from engaging in this risky behavior.

The Frightening Statistics on Drowsy Driving
To some, it may not seem as if drowsy driving is a big problem. After all, you may wonder how many people on the road are actually tired enough that it could make a difference in whether they drive safely. The unfortunate answer is that there are many drowsy drivers on the road and they are putting every single other driver, pedestrian, motorcycle rider and bicyclist at risk.

For many reasons, it is difficult to tell exactly how many drowsy drivers are on the road at any one time. There is no test to determine if a driver is fatigued, for one thing, so a driver who gets into a crash because he was nodding off may not be forthcoming about that information with the police. Another problem is that people may not even be aware of how tired they are or of the fact that they close their eyes as they drive, so it is difficult to get an accurate count of how many people actually fall asleep behind the wheel.

Despite the challenges of getting accurate answers on drowsy driving, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently undertook an ambitious project designed to get more data on drowsy drivers. The CDC interviewed more than 147,000 adults all across the United States. They conducted a telephone survey with people living in 19 different states and in DC and, according to Boston.com, the study is the largest of its kind ever to tackle the drowsy driving issue.

The CDC found out some important information in their survey. For instance, they found out that those aged 18-44 were more likely than elderly drivers over 65 to be fatigued as they drove. They also found out that men, more so then women, tended to be drowsy drivers. The most important information the CDC discovered, however, is that around 1 out of every 24 drivers had fallen asleep driving during the 30-day period before they answered the survey questions.

Think about these figures and consider the number of drivers in Boston. Now imagine that one in 24 of those drivers is dozing off. When you consider this, it quickly becomes clear just how frightening drowsy driving is and just how much danger it presents to Boston drivers. You can try to protect yourself by making sure you never drive drowsy, but you remain at risk if others don't make the same choice. This is why it is always important to pay attention to what other drivers are doing, and why it is always important to take legal action against drowsy drivers so that they face the consequences of what they've done.

If you've been injured, call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for a free consultation with one of the personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone.