While New Jersey’s buses would have a size advantage in the event of a car accident, passengers on those buses are in other respects more vulnerable to an injury following a collision. Usually, passengers on a city bus are not restrained, and they may even stand when the bus is particularly crowded.
As a result, they may be more prone to being tossed around from the jolt of force that car accidents cause, even when a small vehicle hits the larger bus. This can potentially lead to serious injuries even in a low-speed collision.
Some passengers on a New Jersey bus discovered this firsthand when a car slammed in to the bus in which they were passengers. Immediately prior to hitting the bus the car had made what authorities describe as an illegal turn. The wreck totaled the car, and the driver was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of what authorities described as minor injuries.
However, one passenger on the larger bus also had to be transported to a local hospital. While this person’s injuries were reported as “non-life-threatening,” the exact nature of this passenger’s injury is not known. Even something that can be treated in one day, like a broken arm or leg, can have serious ramifications for a person’s professional and personal life, and would likely result in medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.
It is not always the driver of the larger vehicle who is at fault in an accident, even if the smaller car seems worse for wear following the collision. Moreover, even though vehicles like a semi-truck or, in this case, a bus, enjoy some protection by virtue of their size, the driver and the passengers of these larger vehicles can still be injured. Those who have suffered such an injury may be entitled to compensation for their damages.
Source: NBC 10, “2 hurt after car crashes into bus,” David Chang, May 5, 2013
