The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been called in to investigate the accident involving a FedEx tractor trailer and a charter bus carrying senior high students. The FedEx truck crossed the median of California Interstate 5 and slammed into the bus, killing 8 passengers, 5 of them students, and the bus driver. The FedEx driver also died.
The accident happened near the town of Orland, about 100 miles north of Sacramento.
An NTSB “go-team” is on a plane to Orland as this is being written. Highway Safety Investigator Robert Accetta will serve as the investigator-in-charge. The team is a multi-disciplinary team of NTSB personnel.
You can follow the NTSB investigation on twitter (@ntsb).
Attorney Eric Hageman has experience suing FedEx on behalf of people injured or killed in car, truck or bus accidents. “What happened in Orland, California is a tragedy of unimaginable proportions, and the students and their families are going to need answers. It’s crucial that all of the evidence be uncovered and then preserved, and having the NTSB involved will help ensure that happens.”
Evidence in these kinds of cases typically includes things such as phone records, dispatcher logs, driver logs, maintenance records, black box recorders (the electronic control modules) from the bus and the truck, any specialized GPS equipment, and the testimony of eyewitnesses, emergency first responders and FedEx employees (including executives). Investigators will be looking for any evidence of drug or alcohol use, fatigue, emotional problems and/or health problems that would explain why the FedEx driver crossed the median into oncoming traffic.
“No family should have to go through this kind of loss,” said Eric. “Nothing can ever replace the loss of a loved one, but in my experience, families simply want answers when a tragedy like this happens. They want a way to make sense of something that simply makes no sense. They want to know how something like this could possibly have happened and they also want to make sure that no one else should ever have to experience what they are experiencing.”
Attorney Eric Hageman has helped many families in personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits against truck companies. You can contact Eric by email, by phone at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or online with our free consultation form.