DART Bus Accident Can Result in Serious Injuries to Pedestrians

Des Moines Area Rapid Transit (DART) has a responsibility to provide safe, reliable service that does not endanger passengers, other motorists, pedestrians or bicyclists. Unfortunately, DART collisions do occur, sometimes causing serious injury to people or damage to property.

This past January, a DART bus crashed into a woman’s living room at the corner of East Douglas Avenue and Cambridge Street causing minor injuries to passengers and the driver and substantial damage to the woman’s home. Since 2007, there have been 7 pedestrian accidents in downtown Des Moines involving DART commuter transport vehicles, some of which resulted in serious injury to the pedestrians.

Some of the reasons that bus drivers get into accidents may be linked to driver negligence or recklessness, safety violations, lack of training, failure to yield to pedestrians or other motorists, driving impaired (fatigue, health issue or under the influence of alcohol and drugs) or poor bus maintenance.

A Transit Cooperative Research Program study found that bus collisions occur most often when buses turn at intersections, 69 percent of which are left hand turns. As a result many cities are adopting rules that require drivers to adopt a turn-and-honk policy and have placed limits on left hand turns in densely populated areas during peak times.

If you or a family member is injured in an Iowa bus accident, you have the right to pursue a lawsuit against the liable party to recover financial compensation for your accident. Contact the Des Moines Law Offices of John T. Hemminger for help.