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Steps to Take if Your Child Is Injured in a School Bus Accident
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that school buses are seven times safer than passenger cars or light trucks. As parents we like to think sending our children to school on the bus is safe. In reality, school bus accidents occur every year and sometimes serious injuries or death occurs. If your child is injured in a school bus accident, there are steps you should take to help ensure your family’s legal rights are protected.
Seek Medical Attention and Follow-Up Care
If your child has sustained injuries that did not require emergency medical attention, you should follow up with a doctor for a full medical evaluation. This will help make sure your child’s injuries are treated appropriately and it will generate medical records describing your child’s injuries, the severity and the relationship of the injuries to the bus accident.
Preserve Any Information You May Have about the Accident
As a parent of a child involved in a school bus accident, you likely will receive information from the school district. The school may tell you facts about the bus accident and what steps it is taking in response to the incident. Keep a file of this type of information in a safe place so you can access it in the future. Talk to other parents whose children were involved in the bus accident and see if you can find anyone who witnessed it. Eyewitnesses often have relevant evidence that no one else has.
Document Your Child’s Healing Process
Be sure to document the specific ways the bus crash is affecting your child, both physically and emotionally. Some examples of things to watch out for are physical pain, insomnia, nightmares, feelings of depression or anxiety. It’s also important to note activities your child needs to skip because of injuries from the bus accident. Write down the issues you notice and take photographs of your child’s injuries during the healing process.
Contact a St. Louis School Bus Accident Lawyer
If your child was injured in a school bus accident, it’s important to contact an experienced school bus attorney as soon as possible. Evidence tends to disappear after crashes like this. The sooner you have someone on your side protecting your interests, the better. For a free consultation with one of our bus accident lawyers, call Page Law now at 314-322-8515 or send us an email through our online contact form.
1 https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-buses
2 https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
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