Virginia Bus Accident  

Charles G. Monnett & Associates is investigating today's crash of a Sky Express bus in Virginia, and possible similarities to the March, 2011 crash in New York City of a World Wide Tours bus. The Sky Express bus which  crashed in Virginia is reported to have originated in Charlotte, North carolina and was north of Richmond, Virginia, when it overturned on I-95 just before 5:00am, killing four and injuring 54. Following the March bus crash in New York, a Sky Express driver reported to the New York Times that he stayed alert on late night trips with soda, tea and cigarettes he kept tucked away in the dashboard. The cause of today's accident is still under investigation. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has forced Sky Express to discontinue all operations due to multiple violations of federal safety regulations.  The bus driver has been arrested and charged with reckless driving.  Authorities say that driver fatigue contributed to the crash.

Federal officials noted there have been multiple past safety violations by SkyExpress Inc. The company has been involved in four previous accidents and cited for dozens of violations in the past two years alone.  The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the crash. Earl Weener, a member of the NTSB team conducting the probe, said, "Our mission is to understand not just how this happened, but why it happened."  According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data, SkyExpress has one of the carrier industry's worst records in "driver fitness." Federal inspection records have revealed that drivers employed by the company have been cited for 46 safety violations over the last two years, including speeding, fatigue and other unsafe driving violations. 
During that period, the company performed worse than 99.7 percent of those evaluated in the category that measures whether drivers have the required license, experience, medical qualifications and English-language skills. The company also performed worse than 86.2 percent of all bus operators in fatigued driving or driving too many hours without rest.

If you or a loved one was involved in today's Sky Express bus accident near Richmond, Virginia, call Charles G. Monnett & Associates at 1-866-974-0431 to discuss your legal rights.