Bus Accidents Archives

Glendale, Arizona pedestrian accident claims life of woman hit by school bus

An Arizona pedestrian vs. school bus accident has taken the life of a woman in Glendale on Wednesday morning, according to the Arizona Republic. The victim, a 39 year old woman, was crossing the street in the area of 47th Avenue and Peoria Avenue.

The woman was walking northbound on a green light when the school bus, who was also northbound, turned right and failed to notice her. ABC News is reporting that the pedestrian was in a crosswalk when she was hit.

The Glendale Police Department is handling the crash investigation. No children were injured. The victim was rushed to Valley Hospital where she died a short time later.

In the year 2008 alone, 124 pedestrians were killed 1,423 pedestrians were injured in Arizona according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Eighty nine of the fatal pedestrian accidents occurred in urban areas.

Under Arizona law, drivers are required to “exercise due care to avoid colliding with any pedestrian on any roadway”. Further, drivers have to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

Phoenix car vs. bus accident injures 3

by Dave Abels

A Phoenix traffic crash resulted in 3 people being seriously hurt Monday afternoon when two cars and a tour bus collided. The accident took place at 32nd Street and Greenway Road, according to AZCentral.com. A car moving southbound turned left and was hit by a northbound vehicle. One of the cars then struck the bus that was stopped at a red light.

The tour bus was carrying forty 5th graders and seven adults. They were driving back to Paradise Valley School after visiting Northern Arizona University. No one was seriously injured on the bus.

The 3 people riding in the cars were not as lucky, and all suffered serious injuries. They were all taken by ambulance to area hospitals.

Under Arizona law, the driver of a vehicle turning left at an intersection has to yield the right-of-way to a vehicle coming from the other direction that is close enough to be considered a hazard. Here, the injured parties will all have a civil claim against the left turning driver.

Click here to read the entire story.

Click here to read the Arizona left turn statute, ARS § 28-772.

Negligent operation cited in fatal Phoenix bus accident

by Dave Abels

A Phoenix bus, involved in a fatal Arizona bus accident that claimed six lives last month, was being driven so erratically that several motorists called 911 shortly before it plunged off the freeway and overturned, the Arizona Republic reported.

A 130-page report was released this week by the Arizona Department of Public Safety, detailing several safety violations, including brake problems, poor maintenance and driver logbook violations. The report also said the driver was believed to be going too fast and may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

However, no specific cause of the crash was identified in the report and no citations have been issued, pending a review by the Pinal County Attorney’s Office.

The March 5 accident occurred when the bus crashed into a pickup truck on Interstate 10 as it was traveling to Los Angeles from central Mexico. The bus veered into the median and then back across several lanes, before rolling into a ditch. Six of 22 passengers were killed.

A drug expert concluded the driver was not impaired. However, authorities report he has changed his story several times during interviews with investigators. Motorists reported the bus was speeding, tailgating several semis and driving erratically through traffic.

Police report the bus driver was incapable of reading or speaking English, as required by Arizona law, and did not have his logbook up to date. Documents report that the owner of Tierra Santa, the Los Angeles-area company that owns the bus, tried to take out insurance on the bus after the crash.