California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
A Riverside bus accident today, involving a big rig truck and other vehicles, has resulted in the deaths of four bus passengers. The bus was operated by El Paso-Los Angeles Limousine Express Inc. In addition to the bus accident wrongful death victims, the 30 other people on the bus were taken to local hospitals for their bus accident injuries. According to the LA Times, the accident occurred early this morning on Interstate 10 in Riverside, California.
It appears that this chain reaction bus accident in Riverside may have been initiated by a big rig truck that lost control on the freeway, hitting the center divider and spilling the pipes that it was carrying. Eventually, the bus, on the other side of the freeway, crashed and rolled off of the freeway.
Whenever there is a big rig truck accident in the early hours of the morning, there is always a possible issue as to whether the truck driver was taking appropriate rest stops and had slept enough prior the collision. This information should be obtainable by a California truck accident lawyer, including through depositions, subpoenas and written discovery. Fortunately, big rig trucks normally are covered by a commercial insurance policy, which we hope will have enough coverage for the wrongful death damages and to cover the injuries suffered by the other passengers.
If the bus company or bus driver were negligent, their insurance will also have to cover a portion of the significant damages incurred with an incident like this. To help determine fault, the traffic collision report, also known as the police report, prepared by the California Highway Patrol, hopefully after an extensive investigation, should have important information. However, just because a police report makes a conclusion, does not mean that this is a final decision that a jury would have to abide by. Our California injury and wrongful death lawyers have successfully handled many cases in which the traffic collision report was against our client. The insurance companies for a responsible party will also frequently argue against the police report, when it is in their best interests.
Anyone injured in a California bus accident should call our office to speak with an experienced bus accident lawyer, at no charge, 1-866-INJURY2.