Whenever a head-on collision occurs, there is a high potential for serious injuries. Just such an accident occurred on Monday morning as a pickup truck collided with a COARC bus on Route 145 in East Durham. At least three people were rushed to area hospitals after the accident, including one man who was evacuated to Albany Medical Center by a medical helicopter.
The bus was owned and operated by COARC, an agency that provides transportation services for developmentally disabled people. Accident reports indicate that there were no children or passengers aboard the COARC bus. At the time of the motor vehicle accident, the bus was on its way to pick up clients.
However, the bus driver and an aide were on the bus at the time of the accident. Both individuals needed to be extricated from the damaged vehicle before being sent to the hospital in an ambulance.
The driver of the pickup truck had his 11-year-old son on board at the time of the accident. While authorities confirmed the driver needed to be evacuated by helicopter, they would not confirm if the 11-year-old boy needed to be hospitalized.
Whenever a car accident occurs, experienced car accident attorneys understand it is necessary to conduct a thorough investigation into what caused the collision. Whether there was a problem with the vehicles themselves is one possibility that will need to be investigated. A COARC spokeswoman indicated that the bus had been inspected recently and was in good condition.
The accident is still under investigation, but New York State Police representatives believe that the pickup truck crossed into the path of the COARC bus. No tickets or citations have been issued.
Source: Greene Country Daily Mail, “Coarc bus, pickup truck collide,” Claude Haton, 5/10/2011
