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Days after a federal safety crackdown on the tour bus industry, a tour bus and a school bus were involved in an accident in Philadelphia that left at least six people injured. The Sept. 9 accident, which also involved a minivan, occurred close to the intersection of two of the city’s busiest highways: Interstate 676 and Interstate 76 in Center City.
Apparently, the double-decker Megabus collided with the school bus, minivan and possibly one other vehicle as it traveled westbound on I-676. This isn’t the first Megabus to be involved in a serious accident in recent months. As you may remember, a Megabus that originated in Pennsylvania crashed into a Manhattan overpass in July.
Last summer, a Megabus accident in Illinois left one person dead, and in September 2010, four people were killed when a Megabus hit a low railroad bridge outside of Syracuse, New York.
Luckily, officials said that none of the injuries resulting from the Sept. 9 Megabus accident appeared to be life-threatening.
Ironically, a two-week safety crackdown by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration of the tour bus industry kicked off Aug. 26 in Philadelphia. The safety initiative involved random inspections of tour buses belonging to bus companies that had been flagged for safety violations in the past as well as new bus companies.
After a spike in tour bus accidents in recent years, the federal agency also announced a broader, ongoing effort to improve safety in the industry. That nationwide initiative focuses on the 250 carriers that have been flagged as “highest risk.” So far, a total of 18 bus companies have been taken out of business for safety violations as a result of the initiative.
Not only do unsafe bus companies have to answer to federal safety officials, they may also face personal injury lawsuits brought by people who were injured in tour bus accidents. If tour bus companies want to stay in operation, they must put safety first.
Source: NBC Philadelphia, “Megabus, School Bus Crash on Philly Highway,” Dan Stamm, Sept. 9, 2013; FMCSA News Release, “FMCSA Launches Nationwide Two-Week Bus Inspection Strike Force,” Marissa Padilla, Aug. 26, 2013