North Carolina-based SkyExpress Bus Crash Results in Four Dead and Fifty Injured

North Carolina Injury Lawyers Who Handle Bus Wrecks, Airplane Accidents & Train Accidents
Attorneys Licensed in NC and South Carolina (SC) with Office in Elizabeth City, NC

by Rick Shapiro

Rick is a Carolina injury attorney who handles car accidents, medical malpractice, FELA, wrongful death, etc.

6/1/2011
Rick Shapiro
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North Carolina-based SkyExpress Bus Crash Results in 4 Dead, at Least 50y Injured

About 30 miles north of Richmond, Virginia (VA), a tour bus operated by a discount company with a poor record of using fatigued drivers overturned on I-95 before 5 am on the last Tuesday in May 2011, killing four people and injuring at least 50, according to the Associated Press.

The SkyExpress bus left Greensboro, North Carolina (NC), on Monday night and was headed to New York City with 59 people aboard. Fifty-four people were taken to hospitals and treated for minor to serious injuries.

The accident was under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, a Department of Transportation division, issued an order limiting the North Carolina-based SkyExpress bus company's service from providing interstate transportation services "for violating multiple federal safety regulations."

SkyExpress buses have been involved in four crashes, with one injury or fatality during the two-year period ending May 20, 2011. Its drivers have been cited for 17 unsafe-driving violations, including eight for speeding, since 2009. The bus driver in the Virginia crash, age 37, was charged with reckless driving, and held in a local jail on $3,000 bond, for swerving off northbound I-95, hitting an embankment and flipping. Police said driver fatigue was a factor.

The Charlotte, NC-based SkyExpress runs multiple bus routes along the East Coast, including one from Virginia Beach to Washington. Officials said they "found multiple violations in the areas of driver qualification requirements, drug and alcohol compliance, hours-of-service and vehicle maintenance." This bus wreck was an example of safety not being the number one priority for some bus companies.

This deadly bus crash demonstrated that the bus industry won't take essential steps to protect passengers' safety unless required by the government. The SkyExpress bus in the Virginia accident had no passenger seat belts. Besides death, serious injuries like brain and spinal cord injuries may result from a bus accident.

Those injured in this Virginia bus wreck may be looking at months, or years of recovery for personal injuries. A bus crash can be a life-changing tragedy that requires the assistance of Virginia personal injury attorneys for full justice.

To learn more about what to do if you or a loved one is hurt in a bus accident, check out our Frequently Asked Questions devoted to the subject.

Category: Mass Transit (Airline, Train, Bus)

Labels: accident attorney bus Charlotte crash death Greensboro lawyer NC North Carolina Personal Injury Richmond serious injuries Shapiro SkyExpress va Virginia wreck

About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a law firm whose attorneys focus on injury and accident law and have experience handling accidents involving airplanes, trains, buses and other forms of mass transit. In fact, our law firm published a free consumer safety guide on what to do if you are hurt in an airplane accident. We serve every area of North Carolina, including the Outer Banks, Nags Head and the western mountains, as well as all the cities and counties in between. In South Carolina, we cover the state from Myrtle Beach and Charleston to Orangeburg, Columbia, Florence, Rock Hill, Darlington, Aiken, Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008 and we have been named a North Carolina "Best Law Firm" for personal injury law by U.S. News & World Report since 2010. In addition, Rick and Jim have been selected by the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009 and our firm has the highest rating of AV from national lawyer ranking organization Martindale-Hubbell. That means we have a reputation for demonstrating preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer a free initial confidential injury case consultations, so call us toll-free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail and so we can return your call promptly.

Elizabeth City, NC Personal Injury Attorneys
North Carolina (NC) Personal Injury Lawyers
Specializing in North Carolina Wrongful Death & Injury Law

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North Carolina-based SkyExpress Bus Crash Results in 4 Dead, at Least 50y Injured

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