Children mean everything to their parents, which is why parents do everything in their power to keep their children safe. Unfortunately, parents cannot always be with their children to protect them 24 hours a day. Sometimes, parents have to trust other adults with their children’s lives. Such is the case when a parent puts a child on a school bus—ultimately, putting their kid’s life in the care of the school bus driver.

When parents trust bus drivers to get their children to and from school safely, they expect bus drivers to do everything they can to keep their children safe and out of a Sarasota school bus crash.

While some crashes are unforeseen and the fault of other negligent drivers on the road, there are some school bus accidents that occur due to an error on the part of a school bus driver. Some recent Florida school bus accidents that were caused by bus drivers include:

  • On September 20, 2013, a school bus driver with 25 children on board the bus got into an accident in Sarasota. Children reported to police officers that they saw the bus driver looking at her cellphone. While the driver denies being on her cellphone, parents are concerned about the safety practices of school bus drivers. Unfortunately, nine children complained of minor injuries in this collision.
  • Earlier in September, a Tampa-area bus driver had to swerve into another lane to avoid a collision because she was looking at her cellphone. A 14-year-old student on the bus at the time of the incident was taping the bus driver and caught her texting while driving. At that time, the bus driver was not breaking the law because texting and driving wasn’t illegal in Florida yet. However, the texting ban went into effect October 1, 2013.

Both of these incidents raise questions and concerns about bus drivers and the safety regulations and guidance given to bus drivers. Many parents are now asking these questions:

  • Should bus drivers be on their phones or looking at their phones while driving a bus full of children?
  • What is so important worth risking the lives of many children?
  • What kind of driving records do school bus drivers have?
  • Are background checks done on school bus drivers?
  • Why should parents trust school bus drivers with their kids’ lives?

As you can imagine, these recent events have received national attention. Many parents in Sarasota, throughout Florida, and nationwide are outraged over school bus drivers using cellphones while driving a bus full of children. Hopefully, with the new texting ban in Florida and the spotlight on these recent incidents, school bus drivers will realize the responsibility they hold in their hands.

If your child has suffered an injury in a Florida school bus accident, please contact Mallard Perez. Call 888-409-3805 today to speak with an experienced Sarasota injury attorney in a free initial consultation to find out about your rights.

Damian Mallard, Esq.
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Board Certified Sarasota Personal Injury Attorney