Undefeated Greyhound Bus Accident Lawyers
Greyhound Bus Accident Lawyers with #1 Largest Wins in History
As the operator of the largest inter-city bus service in North America, Greyhound Lines is one of the nation’s most instantly recognizable brands. Founded over 100 years ago in Hibbing, Minnesota, the iconic commercial carrier ferries more than 16 million passengers annually to 2,300 destinations in the United States and Canada.
But while the company has become synonymous with affordable travel, far too many people have been seriously injured as a result of preventable Greyhound bus crashes, including a number that occurred because the company or its drivers failed to follow the rules and regulations intended to safeguard the health and well-being of its passengers and others on the road.
Unfortunately, Greyhound bus accident victims are often left to deal with the aftermath of severe or fatal crashes on their own. Greyhound rarely, if ever, acknowledges responsibility for a wreck, even when the company and its driver are clearly at fault. In fact, the Greyhound Driver Rulebook specifically prohibits drivers from taking or discussing responsibility for a crash with the police at the accident scene.
Greyhound Bus Accident Lawyers with #1 Largest Wins in History
Our National Bus Accident Lawyers have represented over 1,000 bus crash victims across the United States. We’ve won against Greyhound time and time again, and we consistently recover the #1 Largest Bus Accident Verdicts and Settlements in history in connection with the most severe and catastrophic bus accidents in the country, including:
- the #1 largest reported Greyhound settlement
- the #1 largest verdict in Greyhound’s corporate history
- the #1 largest bus accident verdict in the country
Click here to learn about our $12 Million settlement on behalf of a client who was injured during a rollover bus accident involving a fatigued Greyhound driver.
Recent Greyhound Bus Crashes Have Injured Dozens, Some Fatally
Throughout its long history, Greyhound Bus Lines have been involved in numerous accidents, including many that could have been prevented. Dozens of Greyhound passengers have been injured in just the last decade alone, some fatally.
Illinois Greyhound Crash Leaves 3 Dead, 20 Hurt
In July 2023, a Ground bus traveling from Indianapolis to St. Louis slammed into three 18-wheelers parked off Interstate 70 West in southern Illinois, killing three people and injuring at least 20 others. A passenger later told the St. Louis Dispatch that he felt the bus shake as it passed over rumble strips before the crash as if the driver drifted off to sleep.
Dozens Hurt Months Apart in 3 California Greyhound Bus Accidents
In November 2022, a Greyhound bus was traveling north along Highway 99 en route to Sacramento from Southern California when it crashed into a guardrail near Tulare, injuring multiple passengers, including several taken to the hospital.
The accident was California’s third Greyhound bus crash that year. The previous August, more than 20 people – including many children — were hospitalized after another Greyhound bus headed north on Highway 99 toward Fresno rolled into a nearby parking lot after driving off the roadway near Avenue 260 in Tulare. Just two months earlier, several people were hurt after another Greyhound bus blew a tire and crashed into a center divider wall near Banning.
15 Greyhound Passengers Hurt Near Fredericksburg, Virginia
In August 2021, 15 people aboard a Greyhound bus on its way to New York City from Atlanta, Georgia, were injured when the vehicle left the roadway and crashed into an embankment along Interstate 95 North in Fredericksburg, Virginia. While all of the victims required treatment at local hospitals, none of their injuries turned out to be life-threatening.
Fatal Greyhound Crash Near Wichita Falls, Texas
In September 2020, one person died tragically, and numerous others were injured when a Greyhound bus collided with a pickup truck and rolled over onto the highway near Wichita Falls, Texas. A Greyhound passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, while three of the injured were transported to area hospitals via Air Evac.
17 Injured When Greyhound Bus Collides with Semi-Truck In Kentucky
In August 2018, a Greyhound bus headed to Cincinnati, Ohio, from Atlanta, Georgia, veered from the center northbound lane of Interstate 75 in Rockcastle County, Kentucky, and collided with a semi-truck traveling in the adjacent lane, sending 17 people to the hospital. Several passengers later reported that the bus driver had been using his cell phone when the crash occurred. A photo taken by one of those passengers also appeared to show the Greyhound bus driver texting just before the vehicle hit the truck.
Louisiana Greyhound Bus Crash Triggles Multiple Accidents Along I-12
Just days after the Kentucky crash, another Greyhound bus crashed along I-12 in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, triggering multiple wrecks in its wake. The chain reaction began when the Greyhound headed east on the interstate, swerved off the roadway and collided with a guardrail. Multiple cars and 18-wheelers were unable to stop as traffic began to slow down, resulting in multiple other accidents along a half-mile stretch of I-12. Six people were injured in the incident, including two Greyhound passengers.
Greyhound Driver Charged with DUI After Mississippi Crash Injures 22
A Greyhound bus driver was arrested and charged with misdemeanor DUI in January 2019 following a crash that left 22 passengers injured in Jacksonville, Mississippi. The bus flipped over three times less than two miles from the Jacksonville bus terminal as the driver was attempting to merge onto I-55 South in heavy rain.
Passengers reported that the Greyhound driver appeared disoriented and was stumbling when she arrived at the Jackson terminal that evening, but no one from the bus company attempted to stop her from driving. She subsequently failed a breathalyzer test at the crash scene, resulting in her arrest.
2 Injured in New Jersey Greyhound Crash
In October 2018, a Greyhound bus collided with an 18-wheeler along the New Jersey Turnpike near mile-maker 22 in Deptford. Twenty-three people were aboard the bus at the time, including two people who were taken to Inspira Medical Center in Woodbury, New Jersey.
29 Hospitalized After Maryland Greyhound Bus Accident
A Greyhound bus headed east along Interstate 70 near Hagerstown, Maryland, rear-ended a tractor-trailer in the early morning hours of July 15th, 2018, sending 29 people to the hospital, most of whom were hurt when they were thrown from their seats. Fortunately, none of the injuries turned out to be life-threatening. A report from the Maryland state police cited the Greyhound driver as the at-fault party in the accident.
“Multiple Casualty” Greyhound Bus Crash Injures Dozens Near Fort Worth
In April 2018, eight people – including 6 Greyhound passengers –were hospitalized, and dozens of others were treated for minor injuries at the scene following a “Multiple Casualty” incident involving a Greyhound bus and one other vehicle along Interstate 30 near Fort Worth, Texas. While the cause of the accident wasn’t immediately apparent, witnesses reported that the front of the Greyhound bus was heavily damaged in the crash.
New Year’s Eve Greyhound Bus Crash Kills 13-Year-Old Girl
On December 31, 2017, a packed Greyhound bus en route from Denver, Colorado, to Las Vegas, Nevada, plunged into a steep ravine of I-70 in the Utah desert. The front of the bus was crushed as it slammed into the ground, forcing passengers to escape through windows.
A 13-year-old girl tragically died at the scene, and dozens of her fellow passengers suffered injuries ranging from minor to critical. Survivors of the crash later claimed that the Greyhound driver passed out just before the bus careened off the roadway.
Greyhound Drivers are Responsible for Preventing Bus Accidents
On the first page of Greyhound’s “Only the Best Rule Book,” Rule S-2 makes it clear that the responsibility for preventing bus accidents rests with the company’s drivers.
A preventable accident is one in which our driver failed to do everything possible to prevent or avoid the accident.
Greyhound Driver Rulebook, pg. 6
The rulebook then goes on to state:
Responsibility to prevent or avoid accidents goes beyond observing traffic rules and regulations.
Greyhound drivers are expected to drive as to prevent accidents . . . in spite of hazards of weather, road, traffic conditions, or the other driver’s faulty driving and failure to obey traffic regulations.
The key factor in determining whether an accident is preventable hinges solely on whether or not the accident could have been prevented or avoided by our driver – not who was primarily responsible or at fault.
The fact that the other driver violated a traffic code or rule of safe driving DOES NOT in itself excuse our driver.”
Greyhound’s rulebook also makes it clear that its drivers are expected to avoid the most common types of bus accidents:
Front and Rear Collisions
“Accidents in which your bus collides with the rear of the vehicle ahead are seldom excusable. A sudden stop by a vehicle is a common occurrence. Every driver should be prepared for it. It is our driver’s duty to follow at a safe distance and have the bus under control. Then, when the vehicle ahead makes an emergency stop, our driver has time to avoid a collision without stopping suddenly and allowing the vehicle following to stop without colliding with the bus.”
Overtaking and Passing Accidents
“Accidents resulting from overtaking and passing another vehicle have no place in the record of a Greyhound driver. Such accidents are caused by trespassing on the right of others to move in a straight line without interference.”
Turning Accidents
“Professional drivers do not become involved in turning accidents. They avoid them by knowing how to handle their coach and by watching carefully for pedestrians, improperly parked cars, and motorists trying to squeeze through with insufficient clearance. Properly position your bus well ahead of the turn, slow down gradually, signal your intention, check your mirrors repeatedly and complete the turn only when it can be done safely. When it is not possible to position the bus close enough to the curb to block off the side, the driver shall stop and not turn until it is safe.”
Head-On, Meeting, and Passing Accidents
“Many passing and head-on accidents can be prevented by defensive driving on our part. Two things are extremely important–do not drive close to the center line and watch carefully for signs that the on-coming motorist may cross into your lane.”
Pulling Into Traffic Crashes
“When entering traffic from the curb or loading zone, the driver should look and signal before starting to move. Wait until it is safe to pull into traffic. When entering traffic from an alley, driveway, depot, terminal, or side street, the professional driver comes to a full stop well back of the sidewalk and then proceeds with extreme caution only when it is safe.”
Backing Accidents
“Responsibility for backing safely is entirely the driver’s responsibility. Backing is dangerous when the driver neglects to make sure the way is clear during the entire movement. Many times backing can be avoided by sizing up the situation early and leaving the bus parked so backing will not be necessary.”
Intersection Accidents
“Intersections are inherently dangerous locations because a lot of complex traffic movement is crowded into a small area. Safe passage requires your full attention and exceptional driving caution. Thorough investigation usually shows that intersection accidents can be prevented.”
Pedestrian Accidents
“Pedestrians often take risks, do not obey traffic laws and may move suddenly into the path of a vehicle. Whether they have the right-of-way or not, there is always a moral responsibility to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians. Whenever a pedestrian appears in your lane:
- Brake Hard
- Stay Right
- Swerve only as a last resort, then only at slow speed.”
Accidents Resulting from Mechanical Conditions
“It is the driver’s responsibility to operate within the limits of the vehicle’s mechanical condition. It is necessary to know the condition of the vehicle and report any faulty mechanical condition for repair. This can be accomplished by making a proper pre-trip vehicle inspection.”
Railroad Crossing Accidents
“Stay alert for RR crossings, approach them cautiously, giving other traffic time tomaneuver safely around your bus . . . Professional drivers depend on their eyes and ears–not on gates, automatic signaling devices, or watchmen at grade crossings. They do not rush past the tail of a passing train until they are sure there is not another train coming on another track.”
Collisions With Stationary Objects
“Often of minor severity, but serious because of high frequency, collisions with stationary objects, such as scraping or striking curbs, buildings, signs, trees, posts, bridges and various overhead obstructions, are preventable. Such accidents indicate poor driving habits and are very unprofessional. There is no room for them in the record of a professional driver.”
Leaving the Roadway and Overturning
“These are sometimes caused by taking emergency action to avoid another accident. However, the circumstances of such accidents usually reveal that the driver was not driving defensively prior to that instant. . . Professional drivers seldom need to depend on their skill to get them out of tight spots. They depend on their judgment to avoid getting into tight spots.”
Parking Buses
“It is the driver’s responsibility to be sure the bus is safely and securely parked when left unattended. “Run away” accidents and accidents caused by delay in placing or complete failure to place flares, reflectors, or other warning devices shall be considered preventable.”
Accidents Involving Adverse Weather Conditions
“Rain, snow, wind, fog, sleet or icy pavement has never caused an accident. These are conditions that make driving more hazardous . . . Professional Greyhound drivers can operate safely on extremely slippery road surfaces by reducing speed, putting on tire chains, and using extreme caution.”
Greyhound Knows Fatigued Bus Drivers Are a Problem
Fatigued commercial drivers are one of the greatest dangers on the road.
In fact, according to one recent study, insufficient sleep (less than 6 hours per night) increases the likelihood that a commercial driver will cause a crash by 33%. Commercial drivers who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea have a 123% greater crash risk than their well-rested counterparts.
As early as 2002, Greyhound warned its drivers about the dangers of fatigue, issuing a bulletin that encouraged drivers to “make wise decisions” to ensure they get enough sleep while not working. The bulletin further advised that unless drivers got “proper” rest “within at least six hours of starting work,” they would be at greater risk of falling asleep at the wheel, “particularly toward the end of the run.” Finally, the bulletin recommended that Greyhound drivers take time off if they weren’t “properly” rested.
The following year, Greyhound even hired a sleep consulting company to institute an “Alertness Management Program” to “further improve the safety margin” and to “reduce fatigue, improve safety and enhance quality of life on and off duty.” The program used group discussions, self-evaluations, group exercises, and take-home materials to educate Greyhound’s drivers about the signs and causes of fatigue, how changing work and sleep schedules can worsen fatigue, and the dangers of driving while fatigued.
Since initiating the Alertness Maintenance Program and updating it in 2006, Greyhound has issued multiple bulletins, brochures, and training materials in a bid to reduce fatigued driving among its operators. Yet this issue continues to be cited as a suspected cause or contributor to numerous Greyhound bus crashes.
Unfortunately, evidence suggests that Greyhound doesn’t always follow its rules regarding driver fatigue. For example, while the company’s rulebook requires its drivers to stop and get out of their bus every 150 miles to “refresh yourself and stay completely alert, a 2016 review of Greyhound’s posted routes conducted by CNN revealed several with no required stops for more than 150 miles.
Basically, the onus is on the bus driver to make the 150-mile safety stops, with Greyhound doing little – if anything – to enforce that potentially life-saving requirement.
What You Need to Know After a Greyhound Crash
Understanding how Greyhound operates after a crash can go a long way toward ensuring you’re able to obtain the maximum compensation possible for all of your injuries and losses.
For example, Greyhound’s rulebook prevents its drivers from taking or discussing responsibility for a crash in their statement to investigating officers at the scene.
The company’s bus drivers must complete a C-2 Accident Report within 24 hours of a crash. Greyhound uses a C-6 form when determining if the crash was preventable and whether the driver should be terminated.
Typically, Greyhound will attempt to hide these documents in a lawsuit. But since our undefeated bus accident lawyers have pursued so many personal injury cases against Greyhound, we know to ask for them.
Because of our insight into Greyhound’s tactics following a crash, we’ve successfully represented over 100 Greyhound passengers against the company and won some of the largest verdicts and settlements in the company’s history.
$18.8 Million Verdict against Greyhound Bus Lines
After a three week trial, a Dallas County jury awarded our client and another injured passenger $18.8 Million for injuries they received when their Greyhound bus lost control and rolled over while traveling over 60 mph. The week before trial, Greyhound refused to offer our client more than $150,000 to settle the case.
Our verdict was recognized as:
- the #1 largest verdict ever awarded against Greyhound in the company’s history
- the #1 largest accident verdict in Texas
- the #1 largest verdict in Dallas County
$12 Million Settlement for Passenger Injured in Fatigue Related Greyhound Crash
Our bus accident attorneys successfully negotiated a $12 Million Settlement on behalf of a passenger who was injured when the bus driver—who, only weeks earlier, had been ordered to undergo a sleep study by a Department of Transportation (DOT) doctor who suspected the driver of suffering from chronic fatigue and Obstructive Sleep Apnea—lost control of the bus while traveling on I-75 outside of Cincinnati at approximately 3 am.
The bus came to rest in a nearby cornfield after driving through a fence, hitting a tree, and flipping over.
After learning that Greyhound had chosen to ignore the DOT doctor’s recommendation to test the driver, Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers became the first law firm in history to obtain a court order that required a commercial driver to undergo overnight sleep testing for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
The study, as suspected, confirmed that the Greyhound bus driver had “moderate to severe” Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a condition which disqualified him from driving the bus or any other commercial vehicle.
The settlement has prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to reevaluate the criteria for screening commercial drivers for dangerous medical conditions, like Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
You can view a recent interview about the settlement here.
Committed to Improving Bus Passenger Safety
In addition to ensuring that our clients and their families are fully compensated for their injuries, our record-setting victories have prompted a number of important safety changes at Greyhound—and the bus industry as a whole—that have substantially reduced the number of fatigue related crashes and made the roads safer for both bus passengers and other drivers who share the road with them.
When bus companies, like Greyhound, place profit above passenger safety, they are placing passenger lives, as well as the lives of every other driver on the road, at serious risk.
Our record-setting verdicts and settlements have sent the message that safety is (and always should be) the top priority, that bus passengers, like airplane passengers, are entitled to arrive at their destinations safely, and that it’s never acceptable to allow inexperienced, fatigued and medically unqualified drivers on the road.
Contact Our Undefeated Greyhound Bus Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by Clicking Here
If you or a loved one were injured or tragically killed in a bus accident, it’s critical that you talk to an Experienced Bus Accident Lawyer as soon after the crash as possible—and before the bus company and their insurance/claims agents start “losing” critical evidence that’s needed to prove your case.
With Billions won on behalf of accident victims across the United States, our Undefeated Bus Accident Lawyers have the experience and resources to ensure that you receive the best medical care available and the maximum compensation possible.
All consultations are free, and you won’t pay us a dime unless we win your case.
Contact our Undefeated Bus Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by clicking here
Bus Accident FAQs:
- What are common causes of bus accidents?
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