The Chicago Tribune reported last week about a bulletin issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration cautioning motorcoach companies to prevent tire failures by properly loading passengers and cargo and increasing pressure in tires on the rear wheels to the maximum marked on the tires when buses are carrying heavy loads.
This warning comes as a result of two Megabus crashes that have taken place this summer. The most first occurred outside Litchfield, Illinois, that killed one Megabus passenger and injured dozens of others when the bus carrying 70 passengers from Chicago crashed into an overpass. Illinois State Police said the bus accident may have started with a blown tire that caused the bus driver to lose control.
Another bus accident involved a Megabus that caught fire Aug. 8 after a tire blew out on Interstate Highway 85 near Lavonia, Ga. No one was hurt in that incident, police said.
“A tire on a motorcoach loaded beyond its weight rating and operated at highway speeds for a significant period of time is more likely to overheat and fail, potentially placing the safety of passengers and other motorists at risk,’’ the motor carrier agency said in a statement. “Under specific circumstances motorcoaches ultilizing the double-deck design may be susceptible to exceeding the tire weight limit when loaded with passengers and luggage at full capacity.’’
The bulletin said bus operators should reduce passenger and cargo loads, seat passengers evenly throughout the bus and increase tire pressure when appropriate, to ensure the tires remain within the allowable tire weight rating and state vehicle weight limits.
It appears that Megabus did something wrong, which caused these bus accidents to occur. Or they were using faulty tires that do not have the load bearing capabilities that they were believed to have. Several lawsuits have already been filed in Illinois on behalf of some of victims of the crash.
In my eyes, actions like those described above, are some of the positive results from lawsuits filed by personal injury attorneys. Not only are the attorneys attempting to compensative those who have been injured and the families who have lost loved one, but hopefully industry changes occur which will prevent an accident like this from happening again. Hopefully Megabus takes the necessary precautions and makes appropriate changes so another bus crash like this never occurs again.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago bus accident or Chicago car accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.