School buses are considered one of the safest modes of transportation in Canada. According to Alberta Transportation, every school day in Alberta, more than 5,000 buses transport nearly 300,000 children to and from school all across the province. Drivers and school divisions are entrusted with the lives of these children, whose safety is a high priority not only for parents and Albertans in general, but also for our Provincial Government. Alberta laws provide stringent requirements for driver licensing, bus safety devices, equipment, and standards, and vehicle safety inspections both scheduled and roadside. Seat belts are not in use on school buses anywhere in Canada, and the public debate about it rages on. Studies about their effectiveness have proven inconclusive, the Alberta Government continues research into the matter, and the topic is raised again every time there is a school bus crash in our province.
Alberta School Bus Accident Lawyers
School bus collisions in Alberta are thankfully very rare and also less likely to result in injuries than other collisions. In an independent study commissioned by Alberta Transportation, Calgary’s Opus Hamilton Consultants Ltd. reported the following statistics:
- Between September 2001 and June 2006, 2,318 school bus collisions were reported in Alberta
- Of those collisions, 6 were fatal and 319 resulted in injury
- Of the 319 school bus collisions that resulted in injury, 42 resulted in major injuries requiring admittance to a hospital
- Only 0.46% of all collisions in Alberta involve school buses
- School bus collisions are most commonly reported in Calgary and Edmonton, but 3 of the 6 fatal accidents occurred in rural areas
Although rare, when school bus accidents occur they tend to capture public attention, because children are usually involved. Our firm has extensive experience making accident claims on behalf of injured children, and families of fatally injured children. We understand that a child’s life is affected differently by an accident than an adult’s life. We work with medical professionals to determine the effects of injuries on a child’s school performance, concentration, memory, personality, leisure activities, and relationships with teachers, friends, and family. If your child has been injured in a school bus accident in Alberta, we can help. Whether the collision was caused by the bus driver, another driver, mechanical failure, or something else, we will get your child the compensation that he or she deserves. There’s no risk to contact us today; it’s free to talk to us, and we don’t get paid unless we win your claim.
