An August 14 accident near Valparaiso involving a school bus left one person dead and two other people with critical injuries. According to the Saunders County Sheriff’s Office, the crash took place at the intersection of two county roads at approximately 7:30 a.m.
The bus was reportedly traveling west while a pickup truck carrying three construction workers was traveling south. The two vehicles collided inside the intersection, which authorities said is unrestricted. The impact from the collision caused the pickup to flip, ejecting the driver from the truck, authorities reported. Officials pronounced the driver dead at a hospital following the incident. The two other occupants of the pickup truck suffered injuries that authorities consider to be serious.
Law enforcement officials stated that the bus was carrying 11 students at the time the of accident. It appears that none suffered significant injuries, authorities reported.
It was not clear immediately following the incident whether law enforcement officials planned to file any charges in connection with the crash. Officials indicated that the investigation is ongoing.
The economic losses that may accompany a violent accident such as this one are often devastating. For, people who suffer injuries as a result of the accident must cope with not just physical ailments but also significant financial burdens stemming from hospital bills, medical expenses and perhaps even lost income. These victims may seek civil remedies in the event that the accident can be demonstrably imputed to another party’s actionable behavior.
Even when law enforcement does not find sufficient evidence to file criminal charges following an accident, further probing by independent investigators may yield enough evidence to prove to a civil court that one of the parties involved in the crash should be held responsible for the incident and its consequent damages. For this reason, accident victims often retain the counsel and resources of a personal injury attorney in the immediate aftermath of an accident.
Source: 1011 HD, “Update: Driver of Truck Identified | 11 Students Hurt in Bus vs. Truck Crash”, August 15, 2014
