A Broward County bus driver may have some of the best luck — and we’re not saying this because of his stellar driving record. We’re saying it because he’s still got his driver’s license — after hitting 10 cars and already having his license revoked 5 times! Even through a lawsuit, he is still allowed behind the wheel.
According to the Sun Sentinel, this man has cost taxpayers more than $73,000. In a 2009 accident, he even sent a passenger of another vehicle to the hospital.
Our Stuart City personal injury attorneys understand that this driver has given rise to some serious questions for commissioners. They’ve even gone as far as asking transit staff for information on how they handle accidents and what exactly it takes to get fired. Their requests have gone unanswered.
Unfortunately, far too many bus drivers don’t have the best reputation when it comes to safe handling of these mega-buses. According to the Broward transit department’s log of complaints, there are quite a few of complaints specifically about buses, the drivers and even road rage. There are even reports of the bus drivers giving the finger to motorists who are just trying to share the road with these large, commercial vehicles.
In 2012, one woman filed a complaint saying that a bus driver cut her off and forced her to merge into another lane of traffic where she almost got into an accident. She says that she was eight months pregnant at the time and was terrified.
In another complaint, a woman says that the driver was driving her bus as if she were using is as a weapon.
The accident policy in Broward County is one of the most lenient in the area. Drivers are forgiven for their accidents after two years — like they never happened. In Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, accidents stay on driver’s records for 3 years and are considered when determining who stays and who goes (or who gets fired).
Broward County policy states that drivers, who have five “preventable” accidents within a 5-year period, face being let go. Unfortunately, with the driver in question — he reached that limit back in 2007 and he’s still behind the wheel!
Phyllis Berry, a spokeswoman with Broward transportation, says that the department has a clean safety record. Berry says that the driver in question has been sent off for retraining. His yearly wage sits at close to $50,000.
“We’ve had operators who’ve been here 20 years and never had an accident,” said Berry.
But it only takes one.
If you or someone in your family has been involved in a bus accident, the South Florida personal injury lawyers at Freeman & Mallard offer a free and confidential review of your rights. 1-800-561-7777
More Blog Entries:
Reports of Bus Accidents in Stuart City and Elsewhere Available through New SaferBus App, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, April 3, 2012