Personal Injury Law Blog
Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against Megabus
A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against the bus driver and carrier involved in a fatal bus crash in 2012. The family of a young woman killed in the crash filed the lawsuit recently.
The crash occurred on August 2, 2012, when a double-decker Megabus on its way to St. Louis ran off the road near Litchfield, Illinois, striking a bridge support. The female passenger was killed and dozens were injured. It was reported that a blown tire might have been the cause of the accident, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a notice to bus companies warning them not to exceed the weight limit for tires.
A spokesperson for Megabus said that the bus went through a maintenance inspection just days before the accident occurred. But federal and state officials are conducting an investigation into whether proper safety protocols were followed. The FMCSA requires bus drivers to inspect vehicles before each trip.
Amid heightened scrutiny after a series of bus accidents, twenty-six bus companies were shut down by the U.S. Department of Transportation due to safety hazards.
Megabus has had five fatal accidents in the past two years. The company transports 5.7 million passengers per year on about 100,000 trips. Greyhound, which has an annual passenger load more than four times as high, also was involved in five fatal accidents in the same two-year period, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Paul Greenberg is a Chicago wrongful death attorney and Chicago wrongful death lawyer with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg. To learn more call 1.877.595.4878 or visit https://www.briskmanandbriskman.com/.
