Dangerous School Buses Place Children at Risk of Injury

October 15, 2010 (Press-News.org) Following the recall of millions of automobiles by Toyota and Honda over the past year, such stories barely seem newsworthy at this point. However, some automobile recalls leave room for surprise.

Millions of parents across the country rely upon school buses to safely transport their children to and from school. Unfortunately, two separate recalls by Thomson Built Buses indicate that this reliance may be misplaced.

The most recent recall was based upon an electrical problem. Because of a flawed design, water could enter the electrical system and cause the buses to stall or cause the headlights and windshield wipers to fail.

According to the New York Times, the company knew of the most recent problems with the buses for months before officially reporting the issue to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The problem first generated complaints in February and the company changed the design to avoid the problem beginning in July.

The company previously recalled about 4000 buses over concerns that the vehicles posed a fire hazard. Here, the first notification of problems appeared almost a year ago and the bus company changed the design of the bus in February.

In both cases, the company did not notify the NHTSA of the issue until September. Under federal safety regulations, the company is required to report such defects within five days of discovery. The company claims that it has complied with regulations and the evolving designs were not related to the eventual recalls. However, to outside observers it seems like the bus company may have been placing profits before the safety of schoolchildren. This is simply unacceptable.

Dangerous vehicles can lead to serious accidents and life-altering injuries. When vehicles are used to transport children, safety must be paramount.

If your child has been injured as a result of a bus accident or other motor vehicle accident caused by a defective vehicle, you may have legal recourse against the manufacturer or operator. Speak with a knowledgeable product liability attorney to discuss your concerns.

Article provided by Freidin Dobrinsky - Personal Injury Lawyers
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