Student says FedEx accident crushed his soul

Our Blog,wrongful death | May 9, 2014

A survivor of the deadly head-on collision between a charter bus and a FedEx truck that took place in California last month says that the accident left his soul “pretty much crushed.”

The 18-year-old, who is a violinist, said the injuries he sustained in the April 10 crash, including a broken collarbone, may leave him unable to play his beloved instrument ever again.

The young man is the latest accident victim to file suit against FedEx after the fiery crash in which the FedEx truck crossed over a grassy median and struck the bus carrying high school students and chaperones. Five students, three chaperones, the bus driver and the truck driver were all killed and many more were injured.

As we discussed in a previous post, students aboard the bus were on their way to tour a college in the northern part of the state when the accident took place about 100 miles north of Sacramento. The California Highway Patrol is still investigating accident’s cause.

In his lawsuit against FedEx and others, the 18-year-old says that the bus driver never explained the emergency exit procedures on the bus and he had to kick out a window in order to escape the fiery inferno. The heat from the flames burned the skin on the young man’s ears before he could escape.

Weeks ago, we reported that the first wrongful death lawsuit had been filed in the wake of the accident by the mother of a 17-year-old student who was killed. It is anticipated that many other suits will be filed against FedEx as well.

Though we often read about lawsuits that are filed in the wake of high-profile accidents, we often forget that the victims are more than plaintiffs. In this case, the victims included a busload of hopeful high school students, many of whom will never get the chance to make their dreams a reality.

Source: Los Angeles Times, “Student violinist injured in Northern California crash sues FedEx,” Joseph Serna, May 8, 2014