Elderly Woman Dies in Summerfield Rear-End School Bus Crash

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 25, 2019

A collision between a school bus and a GMC Yukon within the city of Summerfield towards the end of October resulted in the death of one individual as well as the minor injury of at least two others. Reports from the Florida Highway Patrol within Marion County indicated that the bus, which belonged to the Marion County Public School District, was traveling along the western lane of County Road 42 when it stopped at a pre-designated place in order to collect a student. The GMC Yukon was traveling behind the bus at this time.

Behind the wheel of the Yukon was a 72-year-old woman from Umatilla. It is not known how long this individual was driving her car behind the school bus or if they were aware that the bus was slated to make numerous stops along this particular stretch of road. What we do know is that the bus began to slow as it neared the intersection of County Road 42 and Southeast 117th Avenue in order to pick up a single student. For reasons that are not entirely clear, it seems as though the driver of the GMC was not aware that the bus was slowing down. It is not confirmed whether or not the bus driver activated all of the safety features on their vehicle designed to inform other drivers regarding the actions of the bus, but no information existed in the early reports to suggest that the driver of the bus behaved in anyway incorrectly.

The 72-year-old driver of the Yukon slammed into the rear of the bus still traveling at a high rate of speed. The reports did not indicate whether or not it is suspected that the woman was traveling above the limit, although it is likely that even if she were simply traveling at the posted speed that a collision with a stopped bus would cause significant damage.

As a result of the crash, the 72-year-old woman suffered fatal injuries. Emergency medical response crews declared her dead at the scene.

In addition to this fatality, the student waiting to board the bus was injured when the bus lurched into them after the crash. This student was also struck by detached pieces of the car. An aid serving on the bus also suffered from some minor injuries as a result of the incident.

Sources:

• SUV driver, 72, killed in crash with school bus in Summerfield

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.