New Kensington car-bus crash kills 1, injures another

The roads around Pittsburgh can often be treacherous in the winter. Accidents are bound to happen. That does little to ease the pain and suffering from death or injury caused by motor vehicle accidents. When apparent negligence on the part of a driver becomes a factor, it tends only to make matters worse.

An accident that happened Friday morning in New Kensington is what prompts this particular set of observations. Officials say the crash between a car and a loaded school bus left one driver dead and the other injured. Fortunately, none of the students on the bus were hurt.

Exactly what may have happened is unclear at this point. Witness and police descriptions vary. This suggests that a full investigation is going to be required to sort out all the potential legal liabilities. Those who were involved in the matter would be well advised to contact experienced legal counsel now to ensure protection of their rights.

According to police, the crash occurred about 10 a.m. on Route 366. They say the driver of the sedan was in the oncoming lane and crossed the center line, crashing head-on with the bus. But a woman whose son was on the bus says he reported seeing the car spin out in front of the bus and that the bus then crashed into the sedan.

As a result of the crash, the driver of the car was declared dead at the scene. Officials say the bus driver was hospitalized, complaining about unspecified injuries. The 15 or 20 students who were on the bus were returned to their high school and declared unhurt by medical staff.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “Driver killed when his Pontiac crashes into a school bus in New Kensington,” Molly Born and Liz Navratil, Jan. 3, 2014