Collisions involving buses can leave a great number of the passengers inside injured, perhaps because they sometimes lack the safety equipment present in other vehicles. Also, when a large vehicle such as a bus collides with a smaller vehicle like a car, the passengers of the small vehicle could suffer greater injuries as well. These factors all partially explain how an accident on Ohio interstate 75 resulted in a stunning 34 injuries.
However, there is more to this accident than just the collision itself: the bus involved belonged to a company, Consolidated Biscuit Co., and was transporting employees at the time of the accident. When an accident involves a business and employees of that business on company time, the legal ramifications are oftentimes changed. Most significantly, the company may be held legally liable and the workers injured may be eligible for workers compensation claims under certain circumstances.
The accident occurred when a car, carrying five passengers, slowed down due to traffic. The bus then struck the car from behind. The crash resulted in all 5 passengers of the car being injured and needing transportation to a local hospital for treatment. 29 passengers of the bus also received injuries, with 19 of them being taken to a hospital for treatment as well. One of the bus passengers was seriously injured, and needed to be airlifted to the hospital. Thankfully, none of the injuries were reported to be life-threatening.
The exact cause of the accident has yet to be determined, which could be a deciding factor in whether or not the bus driver was distracted or driving negligently. If this is the case, either he or the company may be held legally liable for the accident. Similarly, it is currently unknown whether or not the employees of Consolidated Biscuit Co. will be seeking workers compensation for their medical expenses as well. However, any employee injured while “on the clock” should explore the possibility of eligibility for workers’ compensation.
Source: UPI.com, "34 injured in car-bus crash on Ohio highway," May 22, 2013