Morehouse College Bus Accident Injures Several Over the Weekend
At least 13 marching band members from Morehouse College were injured over the weekend in a bus accident in Henry County. The bus was carrying the students to a football game at Albany State University on Saturday morning, when it overturned into a ditch.
According to news reports, the charter bus was carrying 42 passengers when it apparently skidded off I-75 and flipped over. 13 band members were injured seriously enough to require treatment in a hospital, but their injuries are not reported to be life threatening. The highway was apparently wet from recent rain, and the weather is being cited as a possible contributing factor in the accident. Investigations will likely first try to determine what the speed of the bus was at the time.
Adverse weather can impact a bus driver’s ability to maintain control of the bus. Commercial bus drivers are bound by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations which mandate that drivers drive with “extreme caution” in adverse weather conditions and adjust their speed accordingly.
The unfortunate crash also coincides with the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that commercial bus drivers be screened for sleep apnea. It also comes at the end of a week in which the NTSB released its investigation report into the deadly bus accident in Sherman, Texas last year. The agencies report especially criticized federal and state agencies for ignoring several of its bus safety recommendations over the years, especially those relating to seat belts in buses.
Jason Schultz is an Atlanta personal injury lawyer representing victims in injury litigation.
