Bus Passengers Injured in Dallas Area Tractor Trailer Truck Accident
Two separate passenger buses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were involved in the same tractor trailer truck accident in late December with many passengers injured.
About 50 miles south of Dallas, two passenger buses on their way to North Texas were involved in the same tractor trailer truck accident.
The Texas Highway Patrol in Waco reported that traffic on Interstate 35 near Milford had slowed because of construction. As a result, a Megabus passenger bus ran into the back of a tractor trailer truck.
This pushed the semi-truck into the back of an additional passenger bus.
The Megabus passenger bus that was involved in the tractor trailer truck accident had a total of 38 people on board. The second bus, an Americanos USA vehicle, carried nearly 50 people as passengers.
Megabus is a division of Coach USA and Coach Canada and serves passengers throughout North America. Americanos USA is Greyhound’s Mexican carrier and serves the cross-border market between Mexico and the United States.
In the tractor trailer truck accident, 13 people in total were taken to local hospitals. All injuries were minor.
Those passengers from both buses who were not injured were taken to a central location where other buses picked them up to take them to their destination.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is still looking into the tractor trailer truck accident.
What Should I Do If I Am in a Tractor Trailer Truck Accident?
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports nearly 4,000 people were killed and over 100,000 people were injured in a tractor trailer truck accident in 2012. This data includes semi-trucks and large trucks.
All in all, 333,000 tractor trailer trucks and large trucks were involved in traffic accidents.
If you are in a collision with a tractor trailer truck, there are some things you can do.
- Call the police: Elements of a police report such as weather conditions and a diagram of the tractor trailer truck accident are important as evidence.
- Take photographs: Look for damage and the point of impact and take photos of them.
- Take notes: Write down observations and anything the semi-truck driver may say to you.
- Get information: Get contact information and statements from witnesses.
- Look for surveillance cameras: Sometimes surveillance cameras have captured the tractor trailer truck accident and may be a source of evidence.
- Return to the scene: If you are well enough, you may find it beneficial to return to the scene the following day to see what you might have missed at the time of the accident.
You also may be eligible for financial compensation from the both the driver and the trucking company. It is also possible that multiple insurance policies may be in play. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires semi-trucks to carry large minimum policies.
Some factors that determine how much financial compensation you may be eligible to receive are the total amount of medical bills, lost wages, the severity of injuries, loss of companionship as well as pain and suffering.
A tractor trailer truck accident can have long-lasting effects on your life. If you have been involved in a tractor trailer truck accident, you may have cause for legal action. An experienced Texas tractor trailer truck accident attorney is waiting to discuss your case with you. Contact The Emma Law Firm in the Dallas area for a FREE consultation by filling out the form below.
At the time of this article The Emma Law Firm did not represent any of the individuals involved in this accident.