Lawsuit Filed in Fatal Bus Accident Involving Channelview ISD Band Students

A mother has filed a lawsuit in connection with a charter bus accident that left the bus driver dead and dozens of Channelview ISD band students injured. The bus was returning from Disneyland to Channelview, within the Houston metropolitan area, when it went off the road and into a ravine in Baldwin County, Alabama.

Channelview Bus Accident Lawsuit Seeks $1 Million

According to the Houston Chronicle, the lawsuit was filed against First Class Tours and a representative of the bus driver’s estate and is seeking $1 million in damages. The mother alleges her child suffered a severe head scalping injury in the accident and has developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The bus was carrying more than 40 teenage children and members of the Channelview High School Band when it veered off the road and plunged 50 feet down a ravine. The driver of the school bus, Harry Calligone, was killed in the crash, and more than 34 people, most of whom were teenagers, were treated in hospitals for injuries that ranged from minor to very serious.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and an preliminary autopsy report did not rule out any underlying medical emergencies the driver may have experience in the moments preceding the accident.

Records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) show that First Class Tours has been cited twice for unsafe driving violations. FMCSA records also show that First Class Tours bus drivers have been involved in four other crashes over the past two years, with one of those crashes resulting in a fatality.

Bus Accident Statistics

The following information was provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation:

• There were 4,311 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes in 2015, which was an 8 percent increase from the previous year.
• From 2005 to 2015, intercity buses accounted for 13 percent, and school buses and transit buses accounted for 41 percent and 33 percent, respectively, of all buses involved in crashes that were fatal.
• Between 2014 and 2015, the number of buses involved in crashes that caused fatalities increased from 236 to 261, which is an increase of 11 percent.

Contact an Experienced Bus Accident Attorney

If you or your child have been injured in a bus accident, contact Thomas J. Henry. Our team of experienced bus accident attorneys are available to evaluate your claim 24/7, nights and weekends. Thomas J. Henry has the financial resources and the track record of winning that you need in a law firm. Contact us today for a free case review. Our firm has offices in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, and Houston, serving clients across Texas and nationwide.