Attorney
If you would like more information, please contact Peter DePaolis, Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P.
A story published in the Virginia-Pilot reported that local cities in Virginia spent some $7.5 million over a three-year period for accidents caused by buses, trucks and cars that are owned by those municipalities. The money was paid as a result of settlements, and the report indicated that approximately one third of the accidents involved city school buses due to substitute drivers who weren’t familiar with school bus routes, drivers who were running behind schedule and the difficulty of bus drivers traveling down narrow streets.
The study by the Virginia-Pilot determined that accidents involving city vehicles like dump trucks, garbage collection vehicles and police department cars and trucks caused much more damage of property than the cost of human injuries. While these types of accidents can be avoided by better driver training, an improved awareness of bus routes by fill-in drivers and drivers being more aware of their surroundings, accidents do occur. Municipalities are constantly working on cutting down on the amount of money they pay out in settlements due to accidents by improving the safety of their buses and the drivers who operate their vehicles.
A qualified Virginia injury lawyer at Koonz, McKenney, Johnson & DePaolis L.L.P., wants municipal employees to take their time while driving to make sure that they drive carefully through our communities. The number of vehicle accidents involving city vehicles can be reduced if better training is provided and if drivers are more patient on routes with which they are unfamiliar.