Each day across Alabama, thousands of children travel to school on school buses. While accidents involving school buses are fairly rare, when they do occur the resulting injuries can be serious and even fatal. Thankfully there were no fatalities when a SUV recently rear-ended a school bus in rural northern Alabama.
According to the police report, around 3 p.m. a 31-year-old driver in a Chevrolet Suburban crashed into the back of a school bus that was transporting children home from a local elementary school. The bus accident resulted in three children who were passengers on the bus being injured. Additionally, the 31-year-old driver of the SUV, along with his two children who he was transporting at the time of the accident, also sustained injuries.
First responders on the accident scene transported all six injured individuals to a nearby hospital where they received medical treatment for their varied injuries.
Police continue to investigate the cause of the accident and it’s not clear from the initial report whether or not the bus was stopped when the crash occurred. It’s highly probable, however, that the bus was stopped and that the driver of the SUV was distracted and failed to see the stopped bus.
Thankfully, according to the report, no one was seriously injured. Even injuries that seem fairly minor, however, can cause long-term pain and suffering and result in permanent injuries. Children who are riding on school buses are especially at risk as buses do not have seat belts.
Source: Alabama Live, “School bus involved in wreck on Butler Road in New Market,” Nov. 8, 2012
