Missouri Injury Lawyers Blog

The Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop B reported that this morning at 7:45 a.m. a 2001 Bluebird school bus operated by Doris Twyman,62, of the Westran School District was stopped in the roadway loading students on Route BB 7 miles northwest of Higbee in Randolph County, Missouri. A 2006 Chevrolet driven by Becky Griffin, 49 of Huntsville, Missouri was waiting behind the school bus when she saw a vehicle coming up behind her and realized it wasn't going to stop in time. Griffin attempted to maneuver her vehicle out of the way, but her vehicle was struck by a 1998 Buick, driven by Donna Inglis, 62 also of Huntsville, Missouri. Inglis's vehicle also struck the school bus in the rear before coming to a stop.

Stephanie Birdsong, 17 of Clifton Hill, Missouri sustained minor injuries and was taken by private car to Moberly Regional Medical Center in Moberly, Missouri. Both Griffin and Inglis sustained moderate injuries and were transported by Randolph County Ambulance to Moberly Regional.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has completed their investigation regarding a 2005 school bus crash in Liberty, Missouri that killed two. The Kansas City Star reports that according to the NTSB, "pedal misapplication caused the Liberty school bus crash."

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the driver's "pedal misapplication" caused Liberty school bus No. 80 to blast through an intersection in May 2005, killing two motorists and injuring 48 students. The bus was driven by Irma Thomas, who said that she had tried to brake, but nothing happened. There were no defects in the braking, electrical or acceleration systems. However, on that bus the brake and accelerator pedals are similar in size and only two inches apart. They are both bottom-hinged and they feel the same when depressed.

The NTSB is now calling for a redesign of bus pedals so that similar crashes don't happen when drivers mistake one pedal for another. The NTSB has also recommended that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish guidelines for designers and manufacturers on the design and placement of pedals.