School Bus Accidents in Suffolk and Poquoson Lead to Injuries to 11 Students

Two recent school bus accidents in Hampton Roads that led to 11 students being treated for injuries at local hospitals, have again raised questions about the way school buses are driven.

The most recent accident occurred in Suffolk, Virginia. Six students and a Suffolk bus driver were treated for injuries at Sentara Obici Hospital after the bus was in a collision with a Toyota pickup on Monday afternoon in the 1700 block of Nansemond Parkway. ABC 13 reported the students were from Nansemond Parkway Elementary School.

Everyone involved in the accident received an emergency medical assessment on the scene. All the injuries sustained were described as non life-threatening. The highway was closed for about 45 minutes while students were transferred to other vehicles for transportation and the vehicles involved in the accident were removed from the roadway.

An investigation is continuing. Police have not revealed specific details of the accident or said if any charges will be forthcoming.

The crash occurred just days after five students and a teacher were treated for injuries on the Virginia Peninsula after a school bus crash on I-64 Friday afternoon.

Virginia State Police stated the City of Poquoson bus was exiting the interstate at Victory Boulevard eastbound just before 1 p.m., when the driver lost control of the bus on the wet pavement. The bus ran off the road, struck a highway sign, then came to a stop in a mud-filled ditch.

Dr. Jennifer Parrish, Superintendent of Poquoson Public Schools, later told WAVY.com there were 19 students and three adults on the bus when the crash occurred. The five students who went to Riverside Hospital for evaluation were all between the ages of nine and ten.

The students were from Poquoson Elementary School. They were returning from a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg. WAVY.com reported the bus driver was charged with reckless driving.

There has been a spate of school bus crashes in recent months in Hampton Roads. Last October the 30-year-old driver of a Nissan was charged with grand larceny, hit-and-run personal injury, reckless driving and driving while suspended, after he was involved in a wreck with a school bus in Suffolk.

In December four students were treated for non life-threatening injuries after a crash between a car and a school bus on London Bridge Road in Virginia Beach. In Chesapeake last year three students were hurt when two school buses collided.

If your child was injured in a school bus crash, you may have grounds to sue a city or the other driver’s insurance policy, depending on the circumstances of the crash. Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers are the authors of Top Twenty Tips for Car, Truck or Motorcycle Accidents. Remember if you involved in an auto accident, take pictures at the scene if you can. It may be useful evidence in a future claim. Call Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers at 757.455.0077 for a free consultation.