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A fatal bus accident that occurred as a Megabus headed to Toronto from Philadelphia in September of 2010 took a severe physical and mental toll on one woman, and she is now fighting in court for compensation.
The woman, a 56-year-old from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, filed a lawsuit against the bus company, Megabus Northeast LLC, which owned and operated the double-decker vessel that ran into a railroad bridge, causing the bus to tip over on its side.
The accident, which happened just outside of Syracuse, New York, killed four people, including a 19-year-old Philadelphia college student from Kansas.
The suit, filed on Aug. 4 with the United State District Court in Philadelphia, claims that the accident could have been avoided if the bus had a GPS unit on board. Coincidentally, the driver was using a GPS system, but it was his personal property.
Each bus owned by Megabus has a form of GPS on board so that command central can track the location of drivers, but drivers aren’t able to use its features.
An investigation into the accident showed that the bus driver missed his intended exit, and continued on a collision course with the bridge. The investigation report also stated that a mile before, the driver was prompted with warning signs and flashing lights that indicated the height of the bridge, which was ten feet and nine inches. The bus was 13 feet tall.
The bus driver, age 60, is being charged with criminally negligent homicide. The man has pled not guilty.
The injured woman, who is seeking $75,000 in restitution, has been riddled with physical injury as a result of the accident. Some of those ailments include traumatic brain and spinal injury along with trauma to other parts of the body and dementia.
Accidents involving tour buses have been far too common on the east coast over the past year. It really makes a person think twice about stepping foot on one.
Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Passenger sues over injuries suffered in 2010 Megabus accident,” Michael Hinkelman, Aug. 9, 2011.