RSSSchool Bus and Wrong-Way Driver Collide in Orange County
Families of students attending Windermere High School received a frightening shock on the morning of Thursday, January 9th, after the school bus transporting a number of these teens to school was struck by a wrong-way driver. Reports from the Florida Highway Patrol stated that it was sometime during the morning when 21 Windermere High School students were inside of the bus and on their way to school. At this same time, a 50-year-old Windermere resident was behind the wheel of a 2014 Infiniti QX 60 and traveling along the same road.
According to the reports, the 50-year-old driver of the Infiniti was traveling in the southern lanes of Seidel Road when they encountered a construction zone. As is the case in many construction zones, this one created a new traffic pattern which required drivers to shift lanes. The driver of the Infiniti apparently became confused as a result of this shifting, ultimately winding up in the northbound lanes while still traveling south.
It is not known how long the driver of the Infiniti was traveling the wrong-way down Seidel Road, but it is believed that at a certain point, the driver became aware of their mistake and attempted to swerve off of the road and across the median separating the northern and southern lanes. It seems that the driver did so in a state of panic, not fully looking at the southern lanes and so not aware of the presence of the large bus.
At this point in time, the path of the Infiniti and that of the school bus intertwined.
As the Infiniti entered the southbound lanes, they also found themselves traveling directly in the path of the school bus. The bus struck the Infiniti along its passenger side, causing both vehicles to sustain damages. Emergency response crews then rushed to the scene in order to tend to the individuals involved. Both the driver of the Infiniti and the driver of the school bus were transported from the crash site to nearby hospitals for treatment of minor injuries. None of the students were reportedly injured.
Sources:
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.
Mr. Cunningham is an excellent and knowledgeable attorney.