Just before 3:30 pm yesterday afternoon, Idaho State Police say Kalena Berry, 23, was headed southbound on SH 41 near Oldtown in Newport, Idaho when she became distracted by her 14 month old daughter in the back seat.
The distraction was enough for her to rear-end a parked car with such force that it ran into a parked school bus full of children.
Police and medical crews quickly responded to the scene and rushed five children, plus both Berry and her daughter to a local hospital with serious personal injuries.
There has been no word from the hospital about the condition of the victims.
This school bus accident could have been easily avoided if the young mother had simply pulled over to address her daughter’s needs. Washington state recently passed a distracted driving law because the use of cell phones has been tied to up to 200,000 accidents annually, but this is not the only form of distracted driving. Passengers, fidgeting with the stereo, eating, reading, and applying makeup while driving are all things that we have seen other drivers do that could cause a car accident.
If you or someone you know has sustained a personal injury in a bus accident some of the best advice you can get is to seek legal council from a law firm that is successful in bus accident litigation. Call Phillips Webster for a consultation.
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- School Bus Accidents
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