GA Bus Driver Transporting Women’s Basketball Team Charged with DUI After Causing Bus Collision
A Georgia bus driver is facing a DUI charge after causing an accident that sent all 13 of the passengers he was transporting to the hospital. Willie Frank Walker, 59, was behind the wheel of a bus carrying the West Georgia Technical College’s women’s basketball team who was headed to Maryland for the NJCAA Division III District Championship when the bus drifted off into another lane and sideswiped a tractor-trailer. The driver then ran off the road and overcorrected, according to AJC.com. Walker then went off the roadway a second time, hit an embankment and overturned.
As a result, all 13 of the passengers were transported to a local hospital where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The college has announced that they are cooperating with police in their investigation and stated that “The West Georgia Tech family is terribly upset today that our women’s basketball team has been affected by this accident.”
As for Walker, he has been accused of operating the bus while under the influence of drugs as well as possession of marijuana. Officials are also investigating whether fatigue played a role in the crash as well. He is currently being held in the New River Valley Regional Jail and the source has yet to report whether the bus driver has been granted bail or not.
8-Year-Old Hit and Killed While Crossing the Street to Catch Her Bus
Although everyone was fortunate enough to make it out of this bus accident alive, those involved in this next story weren’t so lucky. AJC.com reported yet another accident that occurred just a few days ago, this time involving a school bus. The source reported that 8-year-old Tluang Tha Men was being carried across the roadway to catch her school bus by her mother, Dawt Chin Sung, when a driver collided into the two. While Sung was hospitalized and was able to survive her injuries, Men died several hours after being hit.
The reckless driver has been charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle, passing/overtaking a school bus, and two counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian at a crosswalk. The news source hasn’t reported whether the family is going to file a wrongful death lawsuit but based on the circumstances surrounding this accident, they appear to have a viable case on their hands.
Taking Legal Action When Your Child is Injured in a School Bus Accident
If your child was injured in an accident while riding on their school bus or walking to their bus stop, it would be in your best interest to become informed on what you can do so that the negligent individual is held accountable for their careless behavior. Whether it was a bus driver or another motorist, the Atlanta, GA bus accident lawyers we can place you in connection with will be sure to obtain justice for the pain and suffering your child now has to endure along with the compensation that can make this time a little easier to get through.
