Photo Courtesy of MSN
It’s been almost three years since the deadly bus accident that took the lives of 17 passengers on board a bus destined for a religious retreat. June 13, 2011 the judge presiding in the resulting lawsuits signed a court order detailing the settlements made by 11 of the 17 parties accused of negligence in the crash. The financials remain unavailable, and the attorney for at least one party has stated that the settlement is not an admittance of guilt by his client; rather, it’s a way to put the entire mess behind him.
The story, which is reported by CBS news here, is the most recent update in a tragedy that has reverberating impacts.
As a recap, three charter buses left the Vietnamese parishes of Vietnamese Martyrs and Our Lady of Lavang in Houston and were travelling north on US-75 toward a retreat in Missouri. Just before 1 a.m. August 8th, one of the buses experienced a tire blowout near Sherman. The driver lost control, and the bus crashed through a bridge guardrail and tumbled to the embankment below. Twelve adults lost their lives at the scene of the accident, and five more died in the following days.
The accident has been considered one of the worst wrecks since a 2005 bus carrying nursing home refugees from Hurricane Rita caught fire and exploded, killing 23 seniors too frail to escape.
In the Sherman case, a poorly retread tire lead to the blowout. Defendants in the bus accident included Henise Tire Service, Minute Inspections, and the charter operator. The remaining six defendants remain in litigation.
On behalf of bus accident lawyer Jeff Rasansky, we hope this recent settlement brings some closure to those whose lives were forever changed by this senseless accident.
Drive safely, Dallas.
