Skilled School Bus Injury Attorney in New York City, NY

School Bus Accidents

School Injury Lawyers Serving Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island and the Bronx

Leaving your children in someone else’s care is one of the most difficult things parents have to do. When sending kids off to school, we trust that they will be in good hands under the watchful eye of responsible teachers, bus drivers, crossing guards, principals, aides, coaches and everyone else who makes up the school community.

Sometimes a parent’s worst fears come true and a child is injured in a school-related accident or, thankfully less frequently, as a result of a violent act at school.

Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control reveal that each year about 4 million students suffer an injury at school that requires medical attention or is temporarily disabling. Some estimates show that about one-quarter of all child and adolescent injuries happen at school.

More tragically, about 30 children die every year from injuries in school bus-related accidents — most of them while walking or getting on or off the bus, not riding in it. Another 4,500 or so students suffer injuries in accidents related to school buses.

If your child has been seriously injured in a New York school accident, protect your rights by calling an experienced New York School injury attorney at David Resnick & Associates, P.C., for a consultation. There is no obligation, so call today at 212-279-2000 or contact the firm through our online form.

Common Types of New York School Injuries

Despite several tragic violent outbursts at schools and a sizable number of sexual and other assaults over recent years, most student injuries come from accidents, also known as “unintentional injuries.” School-age children are nine times more likely to suffer an unintentional injury (accident) at school than to be the victim of an intentional injury (violence), according to a report from the National Safe Kids Campaign.

The most common causes of at-school injuries requiring hospitalization are falls and sports activities, which account for 43 percent and 34 percent of injuries, respectively, according to the CDC. Injuries at school are most likely to occur on playgrounds, on athletic fields and in gyms — but they can happen virtually anywhere. An experienced New York School bus crash lawyer at our firm can help you to understand your rights and take an action.

Bronx School-Related Sports Injuries

Sports are responsible for more than half of all non-fatal injuries at school. About one million serious sports-related injuries happen to students between 10 and 17 years old each year, according to the CDC’s figures. Those sums include about 300,000 mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries, or TBI, as well as about three-quarters of all at-school spinal cord injuries.

For males, who suffer about twice as many sports-related injuries, the most dangerous activities are football, basketball, baseball and wrestling. Gymnastics, track and field and basketball cause the most injuries to females. The majority of injuries to both boys and girls happen during practices, not games.

Injury rates for organized sports are about five times the rate for students in physical education classes, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign, but PE injuries still occur. Learn more about Bronx.

Queens Playground Accident

For younger students, playground accidents pose the bigger threat. Schools record on average 13,000 injuries related to playground equipment each year, according to the National Safe Kids Campaign. September, May and June are the most dangerous months on playgrounds.

Most New York playground injuries result from falls, either onto the ground or onto equipment. To address that risk, the National Program for Playground Safety recommends a number of measures, including installing safer surfaces under equipment, creating safety buffers between playgrounds and traffic and ensuring that equipment is designed to prevent entrapment.

Additionally, a lack of supervision is associated with about 40 percent of all playground accidents — a problem that schools can correct by providing more responsible adults to keep an eye on students during recess. Learn more about Queens.

Brooklyn School Bus Accidents

Simply getting to and from school poses significant safety hazards for New York City students, regardless of whether they walk, ride a school bus, take other transit or ride in a private passenger vehicle.

During a 10-year study period, 1,564 people died in accidents related to school transportation, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report. Most of the fatalities — 72 percent — involved occupants of other vehicles, and not school bus passengers. Another 20 percent of the deaths came from pedestrians, cyclists and other non-occupants. People in school buses made up eight percent of the fatalities.

School-aged pedestrians accounted for 149 deaths during the decade NHTSA reviewed. Most of the students were killed by school buses, and 24 percent were killed by other vehicles. Nearly half of the school-aged pedestrians killed were between ages five and seven.

The NHTSA report showed that the most dangerous time for school-aged pedestrians is between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m., followed by 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. Many of the accidents occur while children are boarding or getting off the bus, according to a CDC study.

To reduce the number of students killed or injured in transit, the CDC recommended offering “special protection” to pedestrians, including crossing guards, escorts and traffic-calming measures. It also suggested keeping bus loading zones away from traffic. Bus drivers should also undergo special training regarding blind spots that prevent them from seeing pedestrians in certain areas around the vehicle.

Like any motor vehicle accident, some form of negligence usually plays a role in bus accidents. Whether it was the bus driver’s fault or another driver was to blame, accidents typically don’t happen without someone breaching their duty of care. Contact an experienced New York School bus accident lawyer today. Learn more about Brooklyn.

Other Types of New York School Injuries

Vocational or “shop” classes are another source of school accidents, accounting for seven percent of at-school injuries, according to the CDC. Power tools can be particularly dangerous if not properly maintained, including their safety devices.

About 6,000 structure fires occur in schools nationwide each year, resulting in an average of 140 injuries. Field trips can also lead to school-related injuries, especially when students are not properly supervised or if bus drivers are not properly trained.

If school properties are not maintained and provided with proper lighting, they can provide fertile ground for assaults. And, like all public buildings, an insufficiently maintained school can lead to slip and fall or trip and fall injuries.

Call Our New York City School Injury Attorney Today

If your child was injured in a school-related accident and someone else was at fault, you could be entitled to compensation. Every New York school injury attorney at David Resnick & Associates, P.C., is skilled at evaluating school accident claims and have a track record of getting results for their clients. Call our firm today at 212-279-2000 or use our online contact form for a free evaluation of your case.

We serve school accident victims in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Bronx and all of New York City.