Florida Trucker Gets 20 Year Prison Sentence for School Bus Collision
Posted by: DFX on Sep 23, 2016
A Florida trucker who was involved in an accident in 2014 was recently sentenced to 20 years in prison. The 37-year-old man gave a plea of “no contest” on four separate counts of reckless driving leading to bodily injury. However, he still maintained that the company who owned his truck was to blame. The judge gave a sentence of five years for every count he was charged with and agreed that the sentences could be served consecutively. He also gave the trucker credit for more than 500 days served.
According to police, the trucker was behind the wheel of a big rig hauling logs when it hit a school bus at 2:45 in the afternoon. The bus had its flashing lights on and the stop arm was extended when it was hit. However, the police also testified that eight out of the ten brakes on the truck were defective – which may be the truck company’s fault.
There were 15 students on the school bus and almost half of them were injured, as well as the 37-year-old school bus driver. The most serious of all the injuries was a broken leg. The parents of students gave emotional testimony at the trial and said that the accident will have a long-lasting effect on their children. In fact, one boy who suffered from a skull fracture will no longer be able to play football or eventually join the Marines, as he’d wanted to do.
The parents of this semi-truck accident likely feel lucky and wish there was something they could do to be compensated for the pain and suffering they’ve endured. Assuming they find the right Florida personal injury attorney, they may be able to do so. At the Law Offices of Gilbert & Smallman we can guess that the truck driver likely doesn’t have the funds to pay out on a claim – especially when he’ll be in prison. That said, there are other options.
It’s almost a given that the trucker was insured at the time of the accident. What’s more, there seems to be evidence that the company that owned the truck is partially at fault. It’s worth looking into and if we were the attorneys of the parents we’d certainly be doing so.
If you or someone you care about was injured as the result of someone else’s negligence, then it’s time you call the Florida Accident Lawyers for your free consultation.