A Bethlehem, Pennsylvania charter bus service has been shut down after one of its drivers crashed into another vehicle last week, injuring the driver and dozens of his passengers. The driver was killed in the incident.

Car accidents can occur for any of a number of reasons, but collisions with buses might be more common than you think. A recent bus-car accident in Virginia killed four passengers in late May and federal authorities have become more aggressive about inspections and issuing citations in light of these and other tragedies.

In this instance, accident investigators have determined that the driver likely dozed off just before the crash. The lack of skid marks indicated that he did not attempt to slow down or stop before the collision. One of the reasons cited for the bus company's shutdown was that it repeatedly falsified log books, which track how long drivers have been on the roads. The driver had not gotten the required eight house of rest before he started the fatal trip, which ran from Louisville, Kentucky to New York City.

Drivers can (and should) be very vigilant around buses and other large vehicles. A little awareness goes a long way toward preventing accidents and the injuries that accompany them. However, there is simply nothing drivers can do about a bus company falsifying its records, not keeping up with safety inspections or forcing overly tired drivers behind the wheel. If you are injured in an accident with a bus, an experienced personal injury attorney will know how to go about looking into whether the bus company did any of those things. His or her findings will have a bearing on your ability to recover for your injuries and injury-related expenses.

Source: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Federal agency shuts down bus firm after fatal accident," Moriah Balingit, 2 July 2011.