North Carolina Car Accident Attorney Blog

A 2-ton box truck driving too fast around a bend in the road crashed into a school bus that was stopped with its red lights flashing. Fortunately for the student waiting to board, the bus driver saw the oncoming truck and did not open the doors, preventing the student from boarding. That student told police he saw the bus propelled forward 40 feet as he was nearing the bus to board.

Sixteen of the students onboard were rushed to Carolina East Medical Center.

Police have charged the truck driver, Sidney Roundtree, with No Operator's License and Unsafe Movement.

All drivers have a duty to maintain an appropriate speed for the conditions, to look out, and to follow the rules of the road.

Eighth grade students from North Asheboro Middle School were headed to the North Carolina Museum of History and Natural Sciences on Monday when the driver of one of their school buses caused a wreck. Driver Boyce Goldston was charged with Failure to Reduce Speed as Necessary to Avoid Colliding with Another Vehicle. Two other buses had stopped at a red light when they were rear-ended by the bus driven by Goldston. A fourth bus was not involved.

It is the duty of every driver to maintain a proper lookout and maintain a safe distance between vehicles. If you are injured due to the negligence of a distracted driver, you may be entitled to compensation. For your free consultation, call Auger & Auger.

Our Charlotte, North Carolina car accident lawyers want to remind you to exercise extra caution on the roadways as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will begin classes on Wednesday, August 25. School buses are already navigating Charlotte's roads learning their routes.

Under North Carolina law, motorists are required to stop when a school bus is operating flashing red lights or has its mechanical stop sign displayed. The only time a vehicle is not required by law to stop is when a vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction of the school bus and is on a divided highway made up of four or more lanes that are separated by either a median or center turn lane.

Traffic Team 9 of WSOCTV has identified the heaviest traffic spots as Old Statesville Road between Huntersville and Harris Boulevard, Park Road between Johnson Road and Sharon Road West, Monroe Road between Village Lake Drive and Rama Road, and Pineville-Matthews Road between Providence Road and Alexander Road.

Five middle school children were recently injured when their bus rear-ended an SUV. Driver, Charles Wynn, was found to have a blood-alcohol level of .20, which is five times the legal limit for the operator of a school bus. He was charged with DWI of a Commercial Vehicle, Operating School Bus after Consuming Alcohol, and Driving While Impaired. His license was immediately revoked and a trial is set for August 12, 2010 for the outstanding charged.

Injuries resulting from school bus accidents are very infrequent. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a school age child is 61 times more likely to die in a crash in a passenger vehicle than on a school bus. That study also found that in a 10 year period, almost 5,600 school age children were involved in fatal accidents while in a passenger vehicle, whereas in that same 10 year period, 37 fatalities occurred while a passenger on a school bus.

Drunk Driving

Accidents involving drunk drivers occur far too often. It is most shocking when the people we entrust to safely transport our children, their school bus drivers, are the ones who are driving drunk.