Bentonville Personal Injury Lawyer - Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)

Tornado Bus Driver's Attorney Expected To Be Released From The Case

Drew Dixon — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:16:00 GMT

It has been a while since I have seen anything in the news about the Tornado Bus Driver that killed four near Forest City, Arkansas, on November 25th of last year. However, a resent article by the Associated Press said that Prosecuting Attorney Fletcher Long expected that the lawyer representing Felix Badillo Tapia, would make a request to be released from the case.

While I am unsure exactly why Tapia's attorney wants to be released, this recent decision will only delay the trial for a longer period of time. Another delay which is unfortunate for the families who lost their loved ones because they must continue to move forward without closure.

Another concern regarding the delay is the potential flight risk Tapia poses. Because Tapia remains free on a $50,000 bond, Long is concerned that the delay could make the bus driver a greater flight risk. Tapia is currently residing in Brownsville, Texas, which is just across the border from Matamoros, Mexico.

We will continue to follow this case as it progresses and update the blog as more information becomes available.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Drew Dixon

15 Passenger Vans are Dangerous

Sach Oliver — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:06:55 GMT

15 passenger vans are large vehicles with five rows of seats intended to transport up to 15 people including the driver. The problem is that this van when loaded with people has a tendency to roll over easily and cause serious injury to passengers. The federal government now classifies 15 passenger vans as buses for the purposes of vehicle safety standards.

In the past, Dodge and Ford manufactured the majority of these dangerous vans. Dodge quit making them in 2002. Ford then dominated the market by making and selling 80% of the vans sold.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration found that fully loaded 15 passenger vans' propensity to roll over was 44% compared to 26% in fully loaded minivans. These 15 passenger vans are at high risk to roll over when fully loaded and traveling at high speeds, for example on interstates.

Sadly, these vans are used to carry some of our most precious cargo...people: church groups, day care services for infants, sports teams, hotel/airport shuttles, and the list goes on. Our advice is not to purchase the potentially deadly vehicles or at least do not overload the vans. If you are driving these vans, slow down!

For more information contact our offices.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Sach Oliver