Five people were hurt earlier this week when a passenger bus and a pickup truck collided near Whitaker, Pennsylvania.

The car crash occurred around 4:45 p.m. Monday on Route 837 near the Rankin Bridge. A witness reported the truck struck the bus almost head-on. Both vehicles were mangled in the car crash. The bus driver and two people in the truck had to be cut out from their vehicles and needed medical treatment; a witness on the scene said they all appeared bloody and in bad condition. At least two passengers on the bus also sustained injuries. Police had to re-route traffic on Route 837 for several hours so they could clean up the scene.

While full details on what caused this accident have yet to emerge, there are several typical reasons for car collisions:

•· Weather conditions may hamper visibility or impair a driver's ability to stop or slow down in time.

•· A driver can fail to obey the posted speed limit or drive in a reckless manner.

•· Some drivers are distracted behind the wheel by text messages, children in the backseat or talking on cell phones.

•· The other driver could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

•· A vehicle could malfunction, either suddenly or because a problem its driver knew about was not fixed when it should have been.

In any car crash, it is important to review all the facts to determine who may be at fault. Drivers who are injured by another person's negligence or carelessness may be able to seek recovery for the harm they've suffered.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Five injured in truck-bus accident in Whitaker," Vivian Nereim, 20 June 2011.