Nebraska teen killed in crash involving school bus

A 17 yo girl from Axtell, Nebraska, was killed in a multiple-vehicle crash involving a school bus in south Kearney. The accident took place at around 8 pm on September 1, just south of the Interstate 80 interchange at Platte Road and Second Avenue/U.S. Highway 44. The girl was the front-seat passenger in a 1993 Cadillac that was traveling south on Second Avenue and collided with a Cozad Community Schools bus. The Cadillac hit the front passenger corner of the bus, and both vehicles came to rest in the southwest corner of the intersection. A third car was also hit, but the damage was minimal.

The school bus was transporting the Cozad High School girls’ softball team. There were 12 students and four adults on the bus. Several of them were transported to Kearney Regional Medical Center, where they were treated and later released.

For the time being, the police have not revealed the cause of the crash and who might be held accountable. 

What to do if you’re injured in a bus accident in Nebraska?

If you are involved in this type of crash, you must get in touch with a skilled Nebraska bus accident lawyer. Your lawyers will need to look into the crash to determine who might be liable for damages. In a bus accident, you may have more than one party liable for damages – the driver, the company that owns the vehicle, or the local council if it was a public transport bus. You may also have a case against the company that provided vehicle maintenance if the crash was caused by a mechanical failure. 

However, the first thing you need to do after a bus accident is to see a doctor. Without medical records showing you were injured in the accident, it would be very difficult to file a personal injury claim. When there’s a collision, passengers on the bus get tossed around and may suffer a wide range of injuries, some of them not all that obvious. For instance, if you hurt your back, you may not feel any symptoms right away. Yet, if you have a slipped disc, you may experience shooting pain or numbness in your upper or lower limbs several days or weeks after the crash. If you only see a doctor one month after the crash, how can you prove it all started with the bus accident?

Another thing to keep in mind is the statute of limitations. Generally speaking, you have four years to file a claim after an accident in Nebraska. 

If your Nebraska accident lawyers tell you that you have a case against the local council or the body in charge of school buses, special regulations apply. You may need to file a notice to sue within six months of the crash.

At the same time, local and municipal governments in Nebraska have their own processes for handling claims so it’s best to leave it to a seasoned lawyer.

If you were recently injured in a bus accident in Nebraska, schedule a free consultation with a knowledgeable attorney at the Rensch & Rensch Law firm, with offices in Omaha and Columbus. Contact info:

Rensch & Rensch Law

Toll-free: 800-471-4100

Omaha office:

7602 Pacific St #102, Omaha, NE 68114

Columbus office:

1470 25th Ave, Columbus, NE 68601