Students were aboard a school bus that had just made a stop on its way to Mandarin High School Wednesday, September 29, when a small car rear-ended the bus. The Florida bus accident happened on Deeder Lane at Old St. Augustine Road around 7 a.m., News4Jax.com reports.
Fortunately, the high school students were already in their seats when the car drove under the rear bumper of the bus. Two students who complained of neck pain were taken to Baptist Medical Center South. The driver of the small vehicle was in serious condition and taken to a nearby hospital. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s office reports that the school bus had its stop arm extended, indicating the car’s driver should have stopped his vehicle before causing the Florida school bus accident.
The Florida Department of Motor Vehicles and Highway Safety states that drivers need to be mindful near any school bus. Drivers are to:
- Obey the stop arm and never pass a school bus when the arm is extended or when the bus is preparing to stop.
- Leave enough space between the bus and your vehicle.
- If you are moving in the same direction as the bus, stop your vehicle and remain stopped until the bus retracts its stop sign.
- Assume there will be children or teens in the area and watch out for them.
- Avoid distractions.
An investigation by the Jacksonville personal injury attorneys at Farah & Farah would attempt to retrieve the cell phone records of the driver in this collision to determine if he was using any electronic device just before the crash. Fortunately, in this case there were no injuries to school children.
