California School Bus Accident Procedures

What School Bus Drivers Should Do in the Case of an Accident

After a school bus accident, a set of procedures must be followed to effectively assist the victims. There are multiple parties involved, and each party must fulfill their tasks accordingly to ensure that all of the victims are catered to. In the section below, we have included what each respective role is in charge of completing after a school bus accident. 

If your child was involved in a school bus accident, you may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the party at-fault for your losses. At West Coast Trial Lawyers, our expert bus accident attorneys are available 24/7 to offer legal assistance. With our track record of winning more than $1 billion in settlements for our clients, we are confident that we will deliver a good outcome to your case.

To schedule a free consultation, please contact our 24/7 legal team by calling 213-927-3700 or filling out our quick contact form.

School Bus Accident Procedures

Bus Driver

• Must secure the bus and have warning signs displayed.
• Check to see if any individuals involved suffered injuries from the accident. 
• Contact the central dispatch. You will need to inform them about:
• The location of where the accident took place,
• The school name that the students are attending,
• Your bus and route number, 
• Injuries, and
• Requesting an ambulance, if needed.  
• Have the students remain in the bus, unless it is an unsafe environment for them to stay in. If there happens to be a fire in or near the bus, it is best to move the students to a safer location. They should be taken to an area that is nearly 100 feet from the road. 
• Perform first aid on an injured student, if needed. 
• Do not operate the bus after an accident unless you are given the approval to do so. 
• Gather information on how many students were affected by the accident and sustained injuries because of it. 
• Give your information out to the drivers involved in the accident. Make sure to get important details about them, too. This includes their name, phone number, and insurance. 
• Obtain witness information. If there are any witnesses around, you should get their consent to acquire their contact information. Witness testimonies will back up your statements towards the party at-fault.
• Do not make any comments or statements to the media. 
• Contact the department, their employer, and the school district the bus is being operated under (Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 13, § 1219). 

Bus Depot

• Document all of the information being provided by the bus driver regarding the accident. 
• Call 911. 
• Alert the central administrator about the incident. 

Central Administrator

• Contact the principal about the collision and give them updates on current or new information that is being released. 
• Get the names of the students involved in the bus accident by accessing the bus route files.
• Have a list of students who suffered injuries from the accident.
• Reach out to the insurance carrier to authorize treatment at a nearby hospital for the injured students.
• If necessary, send out another bus and bus driver. 

Principal

• Get in touch with the superintendent. They will alert the administrators about the collision. 
• Gather the student’s health information from their enrollment cards. 
• Send a staff member over to where the accident took place. They will notify the paramedics about any special health accommodations that need to be administered to the students that need it. 
• If there are severe or fatal injuries, then you must go to the scene of the accident and the hospital.
• Tell the staff members to contact the student’s parents about the incident. The staff will notify them about:
  • Their child being injured or uninjured and the level of pain they suffered.
  • The hospital where the children were transported to. 
  • Contact information on the hospital the children are getting treated in.

Safety Investigator

• Head over to the scene of the incident immediately
• Make sure to have forms ready at hand. 
• Get your camera or phone. You will be using these items to document evidence of the collision. 
• If the paramedics have not arrived yet, perform first aid on students that need it.
• Write a list of the students that were involved in the accident. Additionally, you should include the students that have minor, moderate, or severe injuries. You must inform the central administration about any new updates regarding the situation. 
• Go to the hospital with the students that were transported there. Remain in the hospital until each of the students have been seen by a doctor.
• Finish writing an accident report and send it over to the District Safety Department. Make a copy of the report and send that over to the Transportation Department

West Coast Trial Lawyers Is Here to Help

If you or a loved one were a victim of a bus accident, our expert team of bus accident attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers will help you recover compensation for damages you have suffered. This includes medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, emotional distress, and pain and suffering. 

Contact us today by calling 213-927-3700 or filling out our contact form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our knowledgeable, caring, and compassionate legal team.