With 15 prior lawsuits, FedEx faces yet another case in relation to an April 10 crash involving one of the company’s trucks and a chartered bus in California. The incident left 10 people dead, including both of the drivers, and also involved a third passenger vehicle. The two occupants of the Nissan Altima were said to have suffered minor injuries after being knocked off of the road by the truck.
The bus was carrying several high school students and chaperones to visit Humboldt State University. A preliminary report of the incident was released two weeks after the accident and stated that the FedEx truck driver, who was towing two large trailers at the time, veered across the median and into northbound traffic on the 5 Freeway. Nine victims were declared dead at the scene. While another individual was transported to the hospital, they later died as well.
The most recent lawsuit was filed by the husband of the bus driver. The bus driver, a 53-year-old woman, died along with five high school students and three of their adult chaperones. The wrongful death suit is seeking unspecified damages. Another lawsuit seeking $100 million, brought forth by the mother of one of the high school students killed in the collision, was filed within two weeks of the incident.
When reckless actions, whether on the part of an individual or a company, lead to the death of innocent individuals, it is possible for their families to seek restitution for pain and suffering and sudden expenses. With legal assistance, they may be able to recover compensation that accurately reflects the damages directly sustained as a result of the accident.
Source: NBC Los Angeles, “NTSB Issues Preliminary Report in Fatal California FedEx Truck, Bus Crash”, Jonathan Lloyd, April 25, 2014
Source: The Los Angeles Times, “Bus driver’s family sues FedEx in deadly college trip crash“, Joseph Serna, October 31, 2014