Lessons Learned: Why You Should Never Sit Next to the Bus Driver

In general, my cases have shown me that life can change in an instant. I represent people and families in very tragic circumstances. Often they have done absolutely nothing wrong, but their lives are forever changed by the negligence of another individual or corporation. 

 

I keep my clients’ information very confidential.  I never reveal any private facts about my cases. However, when I realize that a forgotten safety rule or a slightly different choice might have saved a life and untold heartache, I try to share that lesson with those around me in hopes that others will not have to experience the same kind of tragedy.

 

So here’s one such lesson: never ever sit in the front passenger seat of a bus. Although I know the front passenger seat in a car can be dangerous, I never really thought much about where I sat on buses. I’ve ridden buses many times while on vacation with my family, and the front passenger seat was always my favorite place to sit because of the leg room, the view out the front window, and being one of the first ones off the bus. But guess what? That’s the most dangerous place a person can sit in a bus. In fact, they call it the “death seat” because that’s where passengers usually die in bus wrecks. Even the bus driver is in a better seat because at least he or she has the steering wheel to use as a brace. 

 

What’s so striking to me is that in a front-end impact, a person in the front passenger seat can lose their life, while other passengers just a few rows back often don’t even get a scratch. I had a horrible case involving just this scenario. Now, when I travel with my family, we sit about half-way back. After seeing first-hand how dangerous a buses’ passenger seat can be, it’s just not worth it to sit there.