Cannon & Dunphy, S.C. has won more $10 million and higher awards than any other personal injury law firm in Wisconsin.

Each school day in the United States, there are an estimated 450,000 school buses transporting more than 23.5 million students to and from school.  Due to the involvement of young children, school bus accidents are among the most tragic of all motor vehicle accidents. According to a report of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 1996 through 2006 nationally, 1,536 persons died in school transportation related vehicle crashes, an average of 140 fatalities per year.  Of those fatalities, 72% were occupants of other vehicles involved, 20% were pedestrians or bicyclists, and 7% were occupants of school transportation vehicles.  During this same time period, 159 school children have been killed in school transportation related crashes.  One-half of these fatalities involved children between the ages of 5 and 7.  An estimated 8,500 to 12,000 children nationally are injured each year as a result of school bus accidents.  Although 96% of these injuries have been classified as minor (scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc.), 4% percent of all school bus-related injuries to children, about 350 to 475 annually, are serious, involving broken bones, head trauma, or other significant bodily injuries.  According to crash statistics of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, from 2002 to 2007, there have been 3,283 school bus crashes in Wisconsin, resulting in injuries to 1,208 school bus occupants.

School Buses - A Risk Assessment

The risk of injury or death is particularly acute during the pick-up and discharge of school children.  There is a danger zone around the outside of every school bus where children are in the most danger of being hit, either by another vehicle or their own bus. 
This danger zone extends as much as 30 feet from the front bumper, 10 feet from the left and right sides, and 10 feet behind the rear bumper of the bus.  In addition, the area to the left of the bus is always considered dangerous because of passing vehicles.

Under Wisconsin law, school buses are considered “common carriers,” which means that they must exercise the highest degree of care for their safety.  The care required of school bus drivers and companies operating school buses is the highest that can be reasonably exercised by persons of vigilance and foresight when acting under the same or similar circumstances.  In addition, the law provides that this “common carrier” duty applicable to school bus drivers and companies operating school buses includes an obligation to furnish passengers with a safe place in which to get on and off of the bus.

A Guide to School Bus Accident Claims

School bus accident claims can often be complicated to both prove and pursue.  School bus accidents may be caused by such contributing factors as driver negligence, inadequate driver training and/or supervision by the school bus company, weather conditions, or improper maintenance, to name a few.  In many school bus accidents, it is imperative that an accident scene survey is undertaken by a qualified accident reconstructionist immediately after a crash, so that all physical evidence is photographed and documented, including any skid marks, gouges, debris fields, and any other important evidence.  In addition, some claims against school bus drivers and/or school bus companies may be subject to specific notice and/or claim filing requirements set forth in Wis. Stats. §§ 893.80 and/or 893.82.  These statutes require certain written notices and/or claims to be filed within strict time periods after an accident when a governmental entity may be involved. 

If you are injured, or a loved one is injured, as a result of an accident involving a school bus, it is therefore important to retain an attorney that is experienced in handling school bus accident cases and knowledgeable about these filing procedures, to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to preserve and pursue a meritorious school bus accident claim.  The attorneys at Cannon & Dunphy, S.C. have successfully investigated and pursued numerous school bus accident cases.

A sample of Cannon & Dunphy's previous results in School Bus Accident cases:

• $5.25 million awarded to the family of a woman involved in an automobile accident. A car making a wide turn came into contact with a school bus which was speeding, causing the bus to crash into a van operated by the woman. The woman suffered severe brain damage confining her to a nursing home for remainder of her life.  Of this total settlement, $2.9 million was paid by the insurer for the school bus company.

 
   Location:  Sheboygan, Sheboygan County, WI


• $450,000 settlement obtained for 15 year old passenger on a school bus, who sustained multiple fractures when the driver of the school bus lost control of the school bus while going around a sharp curve in the road on a snowy day, causing the bus to crash into several trees.
  
  
    Location: Big Bend, Waukesha County, WI


• $99,482 verdict and judgment obtained for child and child’s mother in a school bus accident.  The child, who was 10 years old at the time, was struck by an oncoming car while she was attempting to cross the street in the cross walk after she had been dropped off by the school bus. After dropping her off on the corner, the school bus driver pulled out into the intersection to make a left turn, blocking the child’s view of the oncoming car. In this case, we successfully argued to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals that school bus companies are common carriers, and, therefore, obligated to exercise the highest degree of care to school children who take the bus to and from school.
  
  Location: Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI

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