At the beginning of March in Newark, a school bus ended up colliding with a stolen vehicle at Brandford Place, close to Treat Place. The incident happened around 9:45 a.m. According to Newark’s public safety director, the stolen car had an underage driver and two passengers who fled the scene after the collision. However, police later caught up to them. Eleven students, a teacher, and a teacher’s aide, were riding in the bus when the accident happened. While the bus driver did report some pain, no serious injuries were reported.
A chopper surveyed the accident, showing the bus behind two cars that collided. It’s unclear how exactly the accident happened, but many emergency vehicles showed up at the scene to ensure that everything was okay.
Since the driver of the car was underage, no major details were reported about their identity. While both vehicles sustained some property damage, fortunately, no one suffered from any major injuries. However, the situation could have gone a lot differently, and the other driver might have been held to pay for compensation such as:
- Property damage
- Medical expenses, including medical bills, prescriptions, surgeries, medical equipment, etc
- Travel expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress, including the development of PTSD
- Blow to one’s reputation
- Inability to maintain relationships and more
Since the driver is underage, it’s possible that the courts would be more lenient on them, but it’s also entirely possible that they or their parents could be held liable to compensate the afflicted parties. Even in a case where no real injuries occurred, those involved in the crash may still suffer from problems like emotional distress. It’s unclear what—if any—real impact the collision had on the students, teacher, or teacher’s aide onboard.
There’s also the fact that the car was stolen, which can further highlight negligence on the driver’s part. For a personal injury case, like a car accident, to be valid, there has to be negligence.
For example, a crash caused by poor weather conditions often doesn’t qualify as a personal injury case because there’s the argument that neither driver could have acted differently to stop the incident.
Speeding, distracted driving, or, in this case, driving a stolen car can explicitly demonstrate negligence. At the very least, the person behind the wheel would face criminal charges, and a grand theft auto charge is likely to be aggravated due to them being involved in a car accident.
When dealing with a car crash due to another person’s negligence, working with an attorney becomes essential. Again, while no major injuries happened in this crash—meaning likely the bus driver, anyone on board, or the school itself may not pursue a personal injury case—but the situation could have unfolded much differently. Even when there’s a clear example of a driver being in the wrong, obtaining the proper compensation requires help from a Newark auto accident lawyer by reaching out to our Rispoli & Borneo P.C. team today!