A personal injury attorney is trained to handle civil death claim

There is only one way to interpret a stopped school bus with lights flashing and a stop sign extended outward from the bus. In Georgia and all other states, those are the warning signals that tell a driver who is approaching the back or front of the bus to stop immediately and don’t try to pass until the all-clear is given. When a motorist ignores or fails to see these unmistakable signs, he or she will be liable for personal injury or death damages that the motorist causes.

The motorist’s liability insurance will kick in and be responsible for that kind of an accident. In one recent case, the cost to the motorist will be great. The police arrested a 38-year-old female for undisclosed charges after she failed to stop for the flashing lights and an extended stop sign on a bus that was stationary while picking up students in the Stone Mountain area of Decatur.              

Instead of stopping appropriately, the suspect continued to drive through a green light and around the bus. The suspect hit and killed an 8-year-old girl who was in a crosswalk with her mother. The mother was holding the girl in her arms while crossing Rays Road at Central Drive. They were crossing the street to get to the entrance of the bus when struck.

Due to the violations of the Georgia traffic laws that the suspect committed, negligence will be easily assigned to her. The payment of those citations by the suspect will establish negligence per se, making it easier for the estate of the decedent to prove the suspect’s wrongful driving should a trial be necessary on the civil side of the case. The deceased girl’s estate will be well-served by consulting with an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible after the accident.

Source: Decatur, GA Patch, “8-Year-Old Girl Dies After She, Mom Hit By Car“, Doug Gross, Feb. 16, 2018