Earlier this month in Nottoway County, Virginia, a school bus driver was charged with reckless driving after he was involved in a serious collision with an oncoming dump truck. According to one local news report, the accident occurred at around 3:50 in the afternoon while the bus was taking students home. Twelve students were onboard the bus at the time of the accident.
Evidently, the school bus was heading north on Route 614 when it unexpectedly drifted out of its lane and into the eastbound lanes of Route 460, directly into the path of a Peterbilt dump truck. All 12 students, the driver, and one aide aboard the school bus were fine, suffering only minor injuries. However, the driver of the dump truck was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, as was his 12-year-old passenger.
“Professional” Drivers and Accident Liability in Maryland
School bus drivers, like truck drivers, taxi drivers, and any other motorist who is paid to operate a motor vehicle, have a duty to their passengers as well as others on the road. While the specifics of this accident are not known, it seems reasonable to think that the driver of the bus was somehow distracted in the moments immediately preceding the accident.