According to NBCDFW, 10 Farmersville ISD students were injured when a pickup struck the bus during a stop. Texas DPS spokesman Sgt. Kyle Bradford said that the crash happened on January 4, 2023 at about 4:24 p.m. on Farm-to-Market Road 2194 at County Road 1661. 48 students were aboard the bus when it stopped to drop off a student. It was struck from behind by a Ford F150. Ten students and the driver of the pickup were all taken to nearby hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the pickup will be ticketed. The investigation is ongoing.
Commentary
You may be wondering who pays the medical bills in a crash involving a school bus. That’s a good question and it all depends on a few factors, but generally speaking, there are several parties who may share liability. Many Texas schools now hire bus companies to provide transportation to students. When this is the case, and if the bus driver is at fault, the contractor providing transportation for the school generally bears some liability for accidents that happen while in the course and scope of work. This case, however, involves a driver of a Ford F150 who the police report puts at fault. His policy would likely be the primary policy where damages are sought. Only in very limited circumstances can a school who outsources student transportation be held liable for an accident. If the school used their own bus or employees, it might open this area to consider liability as well as if there was an argument of negligent hiring practices when contracting with the transportation services provider. The biggest take away from this crash is that there were numerous students injured and all will be looking for an insurance policy to cover their medical expenses and any losses incurred as a result of the crash. The driver placed at fault may not have a policy with high enough limits to cover the costs of all the medical expenses or other injuries. This is why it is so important to get policy information and move quickly to settle. Having an experienced attorney who is capable of moving quickly on your behalf is likely the best way to proceed while protecting your rights. They can help you look for all the active policies and work to determine if others share fault for your accident.