Articles Tagged with San Francisco tour bus accident lawyer

Tour buses can be a great way to travel.  Longer distance buses are often an affordable option that can save riders the stress of driving and the cost of gas, not to mention the environmental (and traffic!) benefits of taking cars off the road.  In-town tour buses are also a great option, allowing visitors to get an overview of a city and a sense of the places they might want to visit later.  Sadly, we have seen far too many tour bus accidents in recent years.  Our Northern California tour bus accident law firm is committed to helping victims obtain compensation and holding companies accountable in the hopes of preventing future tragedies.

Tour Bus Accident Kills Five in San Joaquin Valley

CBS SF reports that a tour bus crash in the San(image by Greg Goebel) Joaquin Valley claimed five lives on Tuesday.  The crash occurred around 3:20 A.M. on Highway 99 North near Livingston, approximately 15 miles northwest of Merced. California Highway Patrol representatives told CBS that the tour bus collided with a pole which tore through the center of the vehicle.  The bus was travelling to Sacramento from Southern California.  Authorities believe at least 30 people were on board at the time of the accident.  The driver of the bus reportedly suffered major injuries. As of the time of this writing, it is unclear how many passengers were injured but CHP reports at least five individuals were airlifted to area hospitals.  The cause of the accident has not yet been determined.

City dwellers often have a love/hate relationship with tour buses.  Tour vehicles block traffic when they stop to load/unload passengers or halt for a “quick” photo op and large, double-decker buses can impede sightlines.  On bustourthe other hand, the tourism industry is a major source of revenue for our state and our region (per a Dean Runyan Associates study, total direct travel spending statewide in 2014 was $117.5 billion, including $29,987 million in the Bay Area and $1,760 million in Sonoma County) and a major source of jobs (per the same survey, tourism accounted for 1,0270,000 jobs statewide in 2014).  Sadly, however, tour buses have been in the news recently for a reason that trumps all other pros and cons – safety.  Tour bus accidents are a growing concern and our San Francisco tour bus accident lawyer represents both locals and visitors who are injured or lose loved ones in these tragic collisions.

Tour Bus Fatally Strikes San Francisco Pedestrian

At approximately 1 P.M. on Saturday, a tour bus hit and killed a pedestrian at the intersection of Post and Divisadero Streets.  According to The San Francisco Chronicle, police are still investigating, but early indicators suggest the pedestrian was crossing against a red light when the bus turned right and hit the man.  One witness, a former police officer, said the man was waving and shouting at the driver just prior to impact, but the driver appeared to be distracted by another motorist running a red light.   In the witness’s words, “I have no idea why (the driver) didn’t see him — unless he was looking somewhere else — but he must have passed right in front of him.  He wasn’t driving fast, but he just kept going.”

While they might be an unusual sight in rural locations, their big yellow counterparts excepted, buses are an important part of the transportation network in cities and tourist destinations.  In some ways, buses are a cross between a large truck and a passenger vehicle, carrying the heft of the larger vehicles with the precious cargo of a packed car.  Last week’s San Francisco tour bus accident has many taking a closer look at this special mode of transit.  Our San Francisco bus accident lawyer remains ready to help victims of any bus accidents in the Northern California region including passengers, occupants of other vehicles, and bystanders alike.

Authorities Eye History of Bus Involved in Union Square Crash

Earlier this week, NBC’s Bay Area affiliate provided an update on last week’s frightening Union Square crash involving a tour bus.  On Friday November 13, a tour bus plowed into a bicycle rider and hit multiple cars before crashing into scaffolding at the Union Square Apple store.  The incident left 20 people injured with three still in critical care and two listed in serious condition as of Monday.  Thus far, a city representative says the police suspect mechanical failure led to the crash, adding “This was 100 percent preventable if there was good recordkeeping and good maintenance reporting.”  She also said she would like the city to take over regulating city tour buses.

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