A heart-stopping vehicle accident on a state highway earlier this month has left four people injured after a bus and pickup truck collided. The truck accident happened in rural Montana during the early morning hours. The motor coach was carrying a total of 17 people, including former soldiers and their family members.
People who were in the bus report seeing a truck swerve just before it cut off the bus, pulling directly into the large vehicle’s path. Both of the vehicles were swiftly launched off the road as a result of the collision. The pickup truck driver sustained painful but non-life-threatening injuries; both of his legs were broken and he was pinned inside the vehicle.
Luckily, three of the passengers aboard the bus are trained combat medical responders and they quickly rushed to the man’s aid. The men removed the truck door in order to reach the pickup truck driver and they provided quick medical response. Although the truck driver appeared to be in mild shock, emergency medical personnel anticipated that he would recover.
In addition, three bus passengers sustained moderate to severe injuries as a result of the collision. One woman’s nose was broken as a result of the accident. County first responders said the pickup truck driver sustained the worst injuries out of all of the other victims. All of the passengers on the bus were taken to local hospitals for evaluation as a preventive measure.
An investigation is still pending in the matter.
This case provides an excellent example of truck and mass transit accidents from an alternative point of view. In this case, the smaller vehicle is likely at fault for the collision. Nonetheless, legal options, such as a civil claim, are available to those injured parties who would seek compensation for their medical costs, which can be hefty, even for relatively minor problems such as a broken nose.
If you have been in any kind of car or mass transit accident, it can be beneficial to explore what legal rights or responsibilities you have. This way, you can determine whether or not you can hold responsible parties responsible for their negligence.
Source: The Missoulian, “Bus crashes on Highway 93 North; 4 injured,” Gwen Florio, May 22, 2012