Posted in Car Accident on May 5, 2014
Last October, a church bus was involved in a serious car accident that resulted in eight people losing their lives. If you recall, a church bus was heading west on I-40 in Jefferson County when the front left tire blew out, causing driver of the bus to lose control. After the tire blowout, the bus crossed the center median, smashed through a cable barrier, and then collided with an SUV and a semi-truck. Ultimately, the bus came to a rest on its side.
Fourteen people were injured in the tragic accident and eight lost their lives. After the accident, police and investigators began an in-depth investigation into the accident to determine what caused the tire to blow out and who, if anyone was responsible.
According to a report, last week the Tennessee Highway Patrol released a statement indicating that, in its assessment, no one was at fault for the tragic bus accident and that there was “no evidence that the bus was not well maintained.” The report also noted that “This tragedy was the result of blunt-force impact to the front tire that weakened its internal structure and caused the tire’s failure. There was no evidence of any pre-existing condition to the tire.”
The report is fairly thorough in its coverage of the potential parties involved that may have caused the accident.
Liability May Reside in Parties Other than the Driver
As the article makes clear, there are several other parties that may be at fault in a fatal accident other than one of the drivers of the cars involved. For example, if the car, truck, or bus was poorly maintained, the owner of the car may bear legal responsibility for negligently maintaining the automobile and allowing others to operate it.
In some cases, tires may contain some kind of manufacturer’s defect that renders the tire
Unsafe to operate at high speeds. In these cases, the tire manufacturer and even the shop that sold the owner the tires may bear legal responsibility for the faulty tires.
In the case of the tragic church bus accident, it seems as though investigators covered all the bases of potential liability. However, the article serves as a good example of what parties, other than the drivers, may be at fault for serious auto accidents.
Have You Been Involved in a Serious Tennessee Auto Accident?
If you or a loved one has recently been involved in a serious Tennessee auto accident, you should speak to an experienced Nashville car accident attorney as soon as possible. Determining who may be at fault for an accident is not necessarily as cut and dry as it may seem. There are often several parties that can be looked to for an explanation of why an accident occurred. In many of these cases, liability actually does lie with these non-driver parties. To find out more about the laws in Tennessee that allow accident victims to recover for their injuries, contact Matt Hardin Law at 615-200-1111 or contact the firm online.
See Related Blog Posts:
Teen Killed After Allegedly Falling Asleep Behind the Wheel: The Dangers of Fatigued Driving, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published April 27, 2014.
Tennessee Hit and Run Driver Charged with Homicide After Fatal Accident, Nashville Injury Lawyer’s Blog, published April 21, 2014.
