Jackson County, Indiana — There was a serious accident this past weekend in Seymour, IN after a Megabus accidentally tipped over on an icy highway. Police said that dozens of passengers (one news reports said 24) were injured after their large bus lost control on I-65.
This was this last Saturday, December 20, at about 5:30 a.m. A Megabus was headed from Chicago to Atlanta, carrying roughly 70 passengers when the driver lost control while changing lanes near Seymour.
The bus skidded into the median, the driver said, where it flipped onto its side. Many of the passengers complained of minor pains and injuries, but some were more seriously hurt. The bus driver was later identified as Christopher Kelley.
As least one person had a broken collarbone, a local news source reported. Right now, Megabus has said that they are providing “assistance and support for all of our customers involved in this incident,” but didn’t mention anything else.
Seymour, IN
Commentary:
Most people don’t realize this, but bus drivers are held to some of the highest standards in the U.S. when it comes to commercial driving. Because they’re transporting cargo and people, bus drivers are held to a different standard. For regular semi-truck drivers (and most others with a CDL), the law requires them to do everything a “reasonable person” would have done to avoid an accident. But bus drivers, on the other hand, are required to do everything possible within their power to avoid an accident.
Clearly, that’s a little higher and I think it’s absolutely correct to hold bus drivers to a higher standard. With that said, I’ve seen the pictures of the road where this happened and it looks treacherous, to say the least. Was it really a good idea to have the bus on the road that morning? Thankfully, the injuries here weren’t severe, but part of me wonders if it wouldn’t have been worth it for Megabus to just add a few hours to their trip, knowing that’s better than having injured people on the side of the road.
— Grossman Law Offices
