Elementary school students on their way from Kapolei Elementary School to the Judiciary building had quite the traumatic field trip earlier this month. The 40 first grade students were on a school bus when a Jeep Cherokee slammed into their bus. The woman driving the SUV had been trying to avoid the remains of a blown-out tire on the H1 freeway, but her maneuver sent her into a bus. While one could argue that dangerous road conditions caused this accident, that may not be the whole story.
The blown-out tire belonged to a semitrailer truck on its way to Nanakuli, but the trucker had been on the side of the road for 10 to 15 minutes before the accident happened. This means that the woman should have had plenty of time to avoid the shredded tire without smashing into the bus. If it can be shown that she was distracted, these children’s young parents may be able to file personal injury lawsuits.
One of the first grades was rushed to the hospital in serious condition; she had hit her head on a window in the collision. She and another student were the only students taken to the hospital via ambulance. The remaining children were taken to three area hospitals on a city bus that had been nearby and two other school busses. Paramedics rode in the busses and continued to treat the students en route to the hospitals.
Fortunately, the children were discharged and the young girl who was in the worst condition is expected to be OK. In the meantime, however, her parents may wish to consult a personal injury attorney to file a lawsuit against the woman in the SUV.
Source: Hawaii News Now, “Children injured in freeway crash involving school bus,” Tim Sakahara, Nov. 19, 2013