Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

I ran across some good news. The federal agency charged with preventing bus and truck accidents, injuries, and fatalities received a major new request to make some changes to help the folks out on the highways. This week, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) called on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to enact several stricter safety regulations for buses and trucks (like tractor trailers). The NTSB was responding to a bus fire that killed twenty-three elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees a year and a half ago. If promulgated, the new rules would require new detection systems for maintenance problems and stronger oversight over inspections at bus carriers.

The bus accident involving the elderly Rita evacuees happened in September, 2005. That wreck has since been attributed to the bus company, which put a mechanically unsafe bus on the road. It seems that poorly lubricated wheel bearings overheated in the right rear well, igniting a tire, thereby causing the fire. The list of violations by the bus company was long, to say the least. The bus driver didn't even have a license! Last month, a federal court in Texas sentenced the owner of the bus company, Global Limo, to 5 years' criminal probation for poorly managing his fleet and not requiring all drivers to fill out vehicle inspection reports.

Unfortunately, the FMCSA has a history of ignoring NTSB recommendations. Let's hope this time is different.