FEDERAL WAY, WA — An unidentified teenage girl was taken to the hospital after a school bus accident in Federal Way, Washington on Thursday, October 16th, 2014. The news report released by KOMO News said that the accident happened sometime Thursday morning before school started.
Police said that a 15-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after an accident that happened on South 308th Street in front of Federal Way High School. Officials believe a school bus carrying elementary school students hit the girl when she was in a crosswalk.
The girl was taken to the hospital where a spokesperson last listed her in critical condition. No other injuries were mentioned in the news report.
The investigation into the accident is currently being handled by officials from local police as well as representatives from The Federal Way School District.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary:
News reports surrounding this accident mention specifically that the victim was struck while she was in a crosswalk in front of the high school. Now, school bus drivers should be more aware than anybody that around schools, especially in the hour before class starts, there tend to be an abundance of children milling about. Shouldn’t these bus drivers be hyper-aware in these environments, and keep their speed at Was the victim’s crosswalk protected by a light or a crossing guard? Additionally, school zones are designed so people can stop quickly for passing children, which is why the posted speed limit is so low, so why was this bus unable to stop? All these are questions that need to be cleared up, and quickly. Moving quickly in an accident with any government vehicle is important. There could be stringent time limits and other hurdles to jump over that would not be there if this were a regular car accident, or an accident with a private commercial vehicle.
— Grossman Law Offices