On August 29, 2013, just after noon, a serious bus accident occurred in Seattle on I-5 that resulted in serious personal injury for six individuals. In total, the crash involved an airport shuttle charter bus, a semi truck, and two passenger vehicles.
Reportedly, a heavy rain shower passed through the area prior to the accident, leaving wet road conditions. According to Trooper Chris Webb, a semi truck, which was not carrying a trailer, merged onto southbound I-5 from West Seattle when the driver lost control of the truck and collided with two passenger vehicles and the bus. At the time of the accident, the bus was in the HOV lane, according to a spokesman for the bus company, Airporter Shuttle.
Seattle fire officials originally stated that seven people were injured but updated the total to six that same afternoon. The six injured individuals were transported to Harborview Medical Center. The primary complaint among injured individuals was back and neck pain. Three of the passengers hurt were on the charter bus, including the one critically injured individual. Two of the other injured people were in one of the passenger cars, and the driver of the semi was also injured.
Kelsey Green, one of the uninjured bus passengers told news reporters that she was reading when other passengers said “Hold on! Hold on!” just before the bus was struck by the semi. Because of the accident, the two left lanes of I-5 were blocked, causing significant traffic backup. There has been no word yet as to whether road conditions were the sole cause of the accident or if improper vehicle maintenance, negligence, or inattentive driving played a part.
Bus accidents can result in serious injuries to passengers. In some cases, injured individuals may be able to receive damages in personal injury litigation. There is no word yet as to whether any of the passengers in this bus accident will be seeking compensation from the bus company, the semi driver, or the trucking company that owned the semi involved in the accident.