What Caused the Bus on the 405 Freeway in CA to Swerve and Crash into the Center Barrier?
On October 14th, around 1:00 p.m., a private charter bus was traveling on the 405 Freeway in North Hills, CA when the driver of the bus lost control and crashed through the center barrier and into the opposite lanes of traffic. Multiple vehicles were involved in the wreck and nearly 40 people had to be evaluated to determine whether they had suffered injuries or not. Among those that were checked out, 25 were said to have suffered from injuries ranging from minor to severe and all had to be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
ABC 7 reported that the bus has been carrying 37 passengers back from a church event that took place at the Forum in Inglewood. There were other buses that were also transporting individuals from this same event, although none were involved in the accident.
ABC 30 also reported on the wreck and stated that the bus driver, who has been identified as 60-year-old Ofelia Rodriguez, was still under the care of hospital staff after suffering several broken bones. She told officials working with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) that a driver behind the wheel of a white pickup truck hauling a trailer cut in front of her which caused her to swerve and crash. CHP is now considering the driver of this vehicle a person of interest. ABC 7 released video footage displaying the moments just before the accident and the driver of this white pickup truck can be seen traveling nearby to the bus.
The news source highlighted that a witness who was onboard the bus at the time of the collision also stated that the driver of the truck cut in front of the bus and then stepped on their brakes. Perhaps this driver may have contributed to causing this bus accident seeing that these two individuals, both who were present for the accident, had similar stories. To make their claims sound even more legitimate, law enforcement expert Bruce Thomas viewed the video footage for himself and said that it “seemed to corroborate the witness’ account.”
While road rage is being considered as a factor in the accident, CHP doesn’t have any evidence that implies this was, in fact, the cause of this major crash, therefore, the crash is still under investigation while officials work to determine why it occurred.
Accidents Involving Buses are Becoming a More Common Occurrence
Unfortunately, it appears accidents involving both transit buses and school buses are occurring more frequently. But why? Are the drivers of these vehicles the ones contributing to these collisions or is it other motorists sharing the roadway with them that play a role in causing these accidents to occur? Perhaps it is both. Back in May 2018, a school bus driver in New Jersey had charges filed against him in connection with the accident he was involved in after officials determined he had 16 traffic violations and had his license suspended 14 times [Source: CNN]. On the other hand, officials in this accident aren’t accusing the bus driver of causing the wreck, rather, they are considering the driver of the white pickup as a person of interest.
While it is clear that both bus drivers and motorists sharing the roadway with them both play a role in causing bus crashes to occur, it is important for a victim involved in one to determine which parties they can hold liable for the injuries they suffered. Sometimes, this isn’t always easy to determine which is why it is recommended for a bus crash victim in Los Angeles, California to seek assistance from a skilled CA bus accident attorney in their area. CA bus crash attorneys not only help the victims of these wrecks determine which parties were at fault for causing it, but they also help them fight for the compensation they need and deserve while they work on recovering from it.
