Cape Girardeau School Bus Accidents

Each state has its own requirements for school bus drivers. In Missouri, a person must possess a commercial driver license with an S (school bus) endorsement to drive a school bus. School districts must provide eight hours of training to its drivers each year. Missouri also requires school buses to undergo an annual inspection. In 2017, 18 out of the 28 buses inspected passed, roughly 64%. Many school districts, Cape Girardeau included, contract with private companies for school bus transportation services. In Cape Girardeau, for instance, Robinson Transport Inc. takes children to and from school.

Since there are several different parties that may be involved in a bus accident, it is often difficult for parents to determine where to look for compensation for their child’s injuries and losses. Depending on how the accident happened, a child injured in a school bus collision may have a claim against the bus driver, the bus owner, the school system, or the driver of another vehicle involved in the accident. A school bus accident lawyer in Cape Girardeau can help you determine whom to sue.

Many parents mistakenly believe the school system is automatically responsible if their child is injured on bus; however, the school system could only be responsible if it, or one of its agents, was negligent. If the accident was caused by another vehicle, then the school system may not be legally or financially responsible for any damages. The child’s claim will be against the driver or owner of the at-fault vehicle. However, suppose the bus driver did cause the accident. In that case, the child may be able to pursue a claim against the bus driver or owner. The employer will likely be vicariously liable for any accidents caused by the negligent actions of its employee drivers that took place within the course and scope of employment.

In some accidents, it may not be clear which party is actually responsible. Perhaps more than one driver engaged in wrongdoing that resulted in the wreck, such as when a speeding bus hit a vehicle that ran a stop sign. Had the bus not been speeding, then it may have been able to stop in time to avoid the collision. On the other hand, had the other vehicle not disregarded the stop sign, the speeding bus may not have struck it. Missouri follows the pure comparative fault system, where a percentage of fault can be attributed to multiple parties involved in a bus accident. If a jury finds each party in the above scenario to be partially at fault for the accident, the victims will be able to pursue partial recovery from each responsible party.

If the wrong party is sued, the lawsuit could be dismissed outright. A knowledgeable school bus accident attorney in the Cape Girardeau area will be able to help parents sort through the facts of the case and determine who may be responsible for the child’s injuries so that legal action is instituted against the appropriate party. If the negligence of more than one party contributed to the accident, then an attorney can aid the victim in pursuing claims against all potential wrongdoers.