Automobile Accidents in New York City

New York City’s streets are crowded—filled with buses, taxis, and cars at all hours of the day. Drivers do all in their power to avoid getting into auto accidents as they rush to their destinations. Most of the time, those drivers succeed in avoiding an accident. On occasion, some are not so lucky.

Accidents do happen unfortunately. Sometimes, car accidents happen in the most unusual of circumstances. Recently, a 20-year old unlicensed driver made an improper turn, causing an accident with a New Jersey bus. The accident left 42 passengers injured, albeit with minor injuries. Fortunately there were no serious injuries or fatalities.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, buses are involved in an average of 800,000 accidents each year. The size of a bus can cause more significant damage to smaller motor vehicles than collisions with similar sized cars. Factors such as the rate of speed or the angle of impact can also result in greater damage.

It can be difficult to determine who is at fault for an accident in which a bus is involved. Liability is of utmost importance for bus passengers as it will determine from whom the passenger can recover damages, if necessary. If the bus driver was at fault, an injured passenger may be able to recover damages under a theory of negligence as well as under a theory that the bus driver has breached a heightened duty of care to the passengers.