Bus crashed after trying to avoid colliding with a slow-moving tractor
An accident in Garfield County involving a public transit bus that injured 11 people in October has led to a number of lawsuits, according to the Aspen Daily News. The accident occurred when the bus driver swerved to avoid a slow-moving tractor on the highway. The bus struck a concrete barrier and then flipped onto its side, ejecting six of the passengers. The lawsuits blame various parties, including the public transit agency, the bus driver and the tractor driver for causing the crash.
Victims sue agency, drivers
The victims of the crash have launched a joint lawsuit against the public transit agency responsible for the bus, the bus driver, the tractor driver and the tractor's owner. According to the Aspen Times, the victims who were on the bus claim the bus driver's eyesight was substandard and the public transit agency should not have allowed him to drive.
The lawsuit claims the driver was either not paying careful enough attention to the road or his eyesight wasn't good enough to operate a public bus. However, the district attorney has said they will not be filing charges against the bus driver and the bus driver was not issued any citation related to the crash.
Transit agency sues co-defendant
The transit agency, in response to the lawsuit, claims its driver helped prevent a much worse accident from happening and the blame for the incident rests with the tractor's driver and owner. The agency has launched its own lawsuit against the driver and owner of the tractor. They point out the tractor driver was cited for not having a 'slow-moving vehicle' emblem on the vehicle as was required by law.
In their lawsuit, the agency also claims the tractor driver was going 20 mph on a highway with a speed limit of 65 mph. While the highway does not have a minimum speed limit, it is still illegal to drive at such a slow pace that traffic is unreasonably impeded. The lawsuit also claims the tractor failed to have lights and signals installed to warn faster drivers of its slow speed.
Motor vehicle accidents
As the above article shows, issues of liability can become increasingly complicated following a motor vehicle accident. Negligent parties will often try to avoid taking responsibility for a crash, thus leaving victims feeling helpless and frustrated.
Anybody who has been the victim of a motor vehicle accident should call a personal injury lawyer right away. An experienced lawyer can use his or her legal experience to help gather evidence and testimony about a crash soon after it happens. Furthermore, with proper legal advice, victims of a car accident will have the help they need to fight for any compensation they deserve.
