SamTrans Bus Crashes into 16 Cars in Daly City Parking Lot Injures Four
On December 2, 2022, a SamTrans bus accident in the parking lot of the Daly City shopping center caused injuries and property damage. Let’s explore the details of the incident with Ehline Law and our personal injury attorneys.
Bus Plowed over a Dozen Parked Cars and Injured Several Pedestrians
At about 11:50 AM, witnesses report a SamTrans bus hitting a median and speeding into a parking lot of a shopping Mall in Daly City. The SamTrans bus crashed through over a dozen vehicles and hit a few pedestrians before coming to a halt, injuring four people, with one in critical condition.
North County Fire Authority Transports Injured Victims to San Francisco General Hospital
According to San Mateo County’s sheriff, the Fire Rescue transported the injured pedestrians to the San Francisco General Hospital for medical treatment, and the cause of this incident is currently under investigation.
Soon after the incident, a video released on Twitter showed the devastating impact of the crash near the Target store on the south end of the shopping center. The footage showed smashed cars and crumpled-up shopping carts.
According to an accident victim, she was making a left turn in her car when the bus collided with her vehicle pushing it a few feet back before crossing the bushes and into the parking lot.
SamTrans Express Our Deepest Sympathies for Those Affected by the Bus Crash, CEO April Chan States
SamTrans, the transit agency, reported that there were passengers inside the bus before it crashed and those injured from the bus crash remained hospitalized in Daly City Friday night. CEO SamTrans, April Chan, stated that providing safe and reliable service is their highest priority, and they were working with authorities and actively looking into how the incident occurred.
The San Mateo County Supervisor, David Canepa, spoke to the media about the incident stating that the county bus driver told authorities about failed brakes before the collision.
Canepa asked the shopping center employees and the public not to speculate about the incident as many believed that it was another one of the hijacking Muni bus incidents. He stated that investigations were underway and that the cause of the incident would be clear soon.
The SamTrans general manager asked all those car and property damage victims to file claims with their claims department, and SamTrans will work with them.
Who Is Liable for the SamTrans Bus Crash?
Currently, the cause of the incident is still under investigation, but many are speculating that the driver may have suffered a heart attack or a seizure before the incident. However, according to the sheriff, the driver stated that the brakes on the bus failed before the incident.
Under vicarious liability, SamTrans could be responsible for their driver’s negligence, but if the driver suffered a medical condition that led to the bus crash, they might not be liable for the damages if it was an unforeseen medical issue.
However, some reports suggest that the bus’s brakes failed before the bus crashed into the parking lot. If that is the cause of this incident, then there needs to be a proper investigation into the bus components, date of purchase, and maintenance records. SamTrans could be responsible for the accident if it failed to inspect or maintain its buses properly.
The manufacturer may be liable for the damages if the bus is a newly purchased bus that didn’t reach its maintenance period.
Again, it is too early to speculate how the bus crash occurred before completing proper investigations. SamTrans is working with authorities and actively looking into the accident at the parking lot in Daly City.
Schedule a Free Consultation with Ehline Law SF Bus Accident Lawyers
Although SamTrans claims to offer safe and reliable service, the incident at the Daly City shopping center parking lot contradicts that. Accidents can happen anytime to anyone, regardless of age, gender, and circumstances, and injured victims need to reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney to protect their rights.
If you suffered injuries in an accident due to another’s negligence, contact us at (833) LETS-SUE for a free consultation to know more about your legal options with the best bus crash lawyers in the Bay area today.
