Sioux Falls, SD — A man was killed and a woman was hospitalized following an accident with a school bus in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Friday, September 5, 2014. The accident took place on 57th Street, at the intersection with Caraway Drive.
Reports say that Thomas Biernes was traveling west on a motorcycle with his wife Michelle, when a Harrisburg school bus traveling in the opposite direction made a left turn in front of him. Biernes and his wife crashed into the bus head on. Neither one was wearing a helmet.
Thomas was killed in the accident. His wife was taken to a local hospital and at last report was in serious condition.
Nancy Horner, the driver of the school bus, was also taken to the hospital after sustaining minor injuries. There were no students on the bus at the time of the accident.
Police are currently investigating in an effort to determine who is at fault.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
Authorities will need to complete their investigation before those involved can really chart any sort of way forward here. I can imagine scenarios in which blame lies with the victims, and others in which blame lies with the school bus. As is the case with many things, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. I will say, though, that if there was any doubt as to how fast the motorcycle was traveling on the part of the bus driver, she should have let them pass. The truth of it is, if a motorist wants to make a left turn, they have to yield to those in the oncoming lane. Again, there are a few unanswered questions here, but it sounds like the bus driver may have failed to yield the right of way to the victims.
— Grossman Law Offices
