An Ontario bus crash on Jan. 14 left a 56-year-old woman dead and several others injured after the bus went over a guardrail. The crash occurred around 10 p.m. on Highway 407. The woman died at the scene after she was ejected from the bus.
The bus turned over in the accident, and one witness kicked in windows to get the driver and some of the passengers out. One passenger was described as crying and in pain. That individual, another passenger and the driver were taken to the hospital while two other individuals were not harmed.
The driver has 15 years of experience, and the cause of the crash is unknown. Investigators are looking at the diagnostic computer from the bus in an effort to determine what happened. However, because the vehicle was an older model, there was no video camera on board. It is not known whether the driver had medical issues, and the bus had no known mechanical issues when the crash occurred.
The family of an individual who has been killed in an accident like this one may wish to file awrongful death suit. In a case like this one, how a lawsuit might proceed depends upon the results of the investigation. For example, the driver might be to blame if reckless driving was the cause of the crash. However, if the bus had mechanical issues, the bus company, a parts manufacturer or another individual or entity might be responsible.
In a wrongful death suit, a family may be able to claim for funeral expenses as well as compensation for wages lost. For example, if an individual is killed in an accident and had dependants to support, those dependants may receive money to cover the loss of support.
Source: CTV News, “Woman killed in bus crash near Toronto identified “, Kendra Mangione, Jan. 15, 2015
