Miami Injury Lawyer Blog
Eight people are dead after a fiery bus crash in northeastern Tennessee Wednesday. Fourteen other individuals sustained injuries, including two who were in critical condition. According to authorities, the bus was taking a church group home to North Carolina when it blew a tire, slid across a highway median, and crashed into an SUV and a tractor-trailer. It was about 2 p.m. when the bus crossed the median and the cable barriers that divide the highway. When the bus slammed into the tractor-trailer, the tractor-trailer burst into flames.
The bus was traveling back to Front Street Baptist Church in Statesville, NC, which is about one-hundred-forty miles east of where the crash occurred. The group on the bus was a group of seniors known as “Young at Heart” who had attended the Fall Jubilee in Gatlinburg, Tennessee prior to the crash. A memorial service was scheduled for Wednesday night at Front Street Baptist Church.
Hours after the crash, smoke clouds still rose from the tractor-trailer. The bus continued to lie on its side, covering two lanes and part of the median. The SUV was still upright about fifty yards from the tractor-trailer. The back half of the SUV had been completely torn off. Emergency responders and others near the scene of the crash rushed to remove people from the bus. The crash caused all lanes of the highway to shut down in both directions. Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Bill Miller stated at an evening news conference that it was still unclear what caused the bus tire to blowout.
Authorities: 8 killed in church bus crash in Tenn., www.palmbeachpost.com October 2, 2013
The fourteen who were injured were transported to University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville. Two were in critical condition, seven in serious condition, and five in stable condition. Dalya Qualls, State Department of Safety and Homeland Security spokeswoman, stated that eighteen individuals were on the bus when the crash occurred and six of them were killed. The tractor-trailer driver and one of the individuals in the SUV also died.
Bus accidents, like the one here, all too often lead to devastating tragedy. The injuries caused in these accidents can be very severe, including traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injuries, or even wrongful death, as most buses do not come equipped with passenger seatbelts. Passengers can get thrown into walls and tossed into the aisle if a bus driver loses control. Additionally, when mechanical defects are present in a bus, the results can be horrific because buses are so large and have an incredible amount of weight and power behind their movement. The Fort Lauderdale motor vehicle accident attorneys have been working with victims of serious accidents for over twenty years. The Coral Gables personal injury attorneys have the experience and knowledge that it takes to get you the compensation that you deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a bus crash, call (305) 661-2008 today for your free consultation.
The Miami trial attorneys at the Friedland | Carmona handle all types of motor vehicle accidents throughout the state of Florida, including Boca Raton, Homestead, North Miami, South Miami, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Pembroke Pines, Hialeah, Kendall, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach. The Friedland | Carmona handles all types of personal injury cases, including wrongful death, defective products, medical malpractice, slip and falls and construction site injuries. Call today and let our family take care of your family!