Anyone who rides on public transportation probably feels that there is a certain sense of safety when traveling in that manner. Whether it is a commuter train, a taxi cab or city bus, many people expect that by paying a fare they should be delivered to their destination in one piece and without serious injury to their person.
As a Maryland trucking accident lawyer, I know that reality can be very out of step with a person’s perceptions and expectations. The truth of the matter is that accidents can and do happen no matter what conveyance we choose to get us to our final destination. The Washington, D.C., Metro Red Line accident a year ago last June is one example of how dozens of people traveling with the expectation of safety can end up being seriously hurt through no fault of their own.
Some recent bus accidents in and around the District are an example of how factors can combine to cause injury, but thankfully in these instances, no deaths. According to D.C. police, the passengers on a Metrobus as well as occupants in another smaller vehicle were caught up in a serious accident early on a Monday morning in mid-June.
According to police reports, a Chevy Camaro ran a red light at the intersection of 15th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. As the southbound sports car, which was carrying two persons, went through the intersection it collided with a passing Metrobus that was traveling on Pennsylvania Avenue — the bus was carrying two passengers at the time, plus the driver.
The force of the impact was so great that the bus driver lost control and ended up hitting a hit a tree and then rammed a parked car alongside the curb. Emergency response teams arriving at the scene treated those five people, all of whom were subsequently transported to a local hospital. An investigation was ongoing at the time of the news report.
Not long after the Pennsylvania Avenue crash, another Metrobus was involved in another traffic accident along Interstate 395. In that incident, two people who were in a passenger car were taken to a local hospital while 18 teenage school kids traveling on the bus were treated for very minor injuries. The crash happened on the morning of June 15 near Maine Avenue southwest.
DC Metrobus, Car Involved in Accident, MyFoxDC.com, June 15, 2010
Car Runs Red Light, Hits Metro Bus in SE; 5 Hospitalized, News8.net, July 5, 2010