Charlotte Injury Lawyers Blog
Personal injury Lawyer Matt Arnold answers the question: “I was involved in a motor vehicle accident with injuries. Do I need a lawyer?”
A serious crash sent children to the hospital after a dump truck collided with a school bus in south Charlotte. 14 children who were aboard the school bus were taken to the hospital with various injuries. The bus driver sustained life-threatening injuries in the accident. The bus was carrying students to South Mecklenburg High School, nearby. The crash, which is reported to be caused by the dump truck, involved the school bus as well as another vehicle. The dump truck driver was also taken to the hospital. The children all suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were all released from the hospital the same day.
Dump Truck Caused the Accident
The crash occurred early in the morning as it was traveling to take kids to school. The accident happened on Sharonbrook Drive, near the intersection of Sharon Road West and South Boulevard. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department crash report, the dump truck crossed over the center line into oncoming traffic and hit the school bus and another vehicle head-on. The driver of the dump truck reported that he fell asleep while behind the wheel. The police department and fire department were on the scene quickly and it took about a half hour to extricate the school bus driver.
Head-On Collisions
Accidents can happen in a variety of ways. Some of the most common types of collisions are rear-end, side-swipe, t-bone, and head-on crashes. Of these, head-on accidents are likely to be the most serious. A head-on collision occurs when two vehicles hit into each other with the front of their vehicles. Many of these types of accidents happen when at least one of the vehicles is traveling quickly. The drivers and passengers in these types of crashes can suffer serious injuries or fatalities.
In this case, the dump truck hit the bus and another vehicle. A dump truck is a large and heavy machine that can cause extensive damage in a crash. Luckily, all of the victims survived the incident. The current medical condition of the school bus driver is unknown but the driver may have suffered extremely serious injuries and may be facing a lengthy recovery.
Negligence in Vehicle Accidents
The negligent party in an accident is responsible for the damages that occurred as a result. Negligence means that the person knew or should have known that their actions could cause serious harm and failed to act in a prudent manner. There are generally four main parts of negligence that you must prove in order to prevail in a legal case against the negligent party. These include:
- Duty
- Breach
- Causation
- Harm
You must prove that the person had a duty of care and that they breached that duty. They must have acted in a way that was outside the way an average person would have acted in the same situation. The breach of duty must have caused harm or damages. You must have sustained actual damages in order to prove a negligence case. Damages may include all costs associated with the accident such as medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
If you are the victim of a serious traffic accident, do not delay. Contact our legal team at Arnold & Smith, PLLC, at (704) 370-2828 to discuss the matter.
The skilled personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to maximizing the financial recovery and obtaining justice for every personal injury client injured by another party’s negligence. The issues our personal injury clients may be facing include, but are not limited to, slip and fall injuries, wrongful death, product liability, catastrophic injuries, dog bite claims, car and truck accident injuries, motorcycle injuries, traumatic brain injury (TBI), nursing home negligence, spinal cord injury, boating accidents, and defective medical device injury. Our personal injury attorneys understand the devastating impact such an injury can have on a person’s life, and that the effects so often go beyond physical pain and suffering. The personal injury attorneys at Arnold & Smith, PLLC are dedicated to helping clients determine the strength of their claims, and to aggressively pursuing the means necessary to achieve the best possible end result for each client’s particular situation.
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