Moderate rain a factor in two separate school bus accidents

On behalf of Terence Gross of Gross & Schuster, P.A. posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, September 27, 2011.

It’s important to be extra careful while driving during rainy or wet conditions. Two separate accidents involving school buses on a rainy day last week sent multiple children to the hospital with injuries and caused an estimated $15,000 in damage.

The first car accident involved an Okaloosa County School bus traveling on County Road 189, which was rear ended by a driver when it stopped to let a child off. The driver of the second vehicle apparently hit her brakes, but lost control of the vehicle on the wet road, crashing into the back of the bus.

Of the 55 students on board the bus at the time of the accident, three were admitted to North Okaloosa Medical Center for treatment. The 18-year-old driver of the vehicle that struck the bus was charged with careless driving.

In a separate and unrelated incident, a second Okaloosa County School bus was involved in an accident in which the 73-year-old driver lost control of the vehicle on a wet road, which then hit the shoulder and overturned. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the bus was traveling south on Lewis Turner Boulevard when it was involved in the accident at about 7:35 a.m.

According to the Destin Log, there were seven children on the bus at the time, and two were hospitalized with injuries. Both were released later that day. The driver and the five remaining children were checked and cleared at the scene of the accident. Damage to the school bus was estimated at $5,000. The driver was cited for driving too fast for road conditions.

Source: The Destin Log, “Woman hits bus with 55 students aboard, second bus accident in one day,” Angel McCurdy, Sept. 21, 2011