Personal Injury Law

VIA Bus Drivers Texting While Driving?

By Beth Janicek

Everyone's done it, but it doesn't make it right. Especially for VIA bus driver's on our city streets endangering our safety.

About a year ago, VIA put surveillance cameras on every bus. VIA has a strict policy of no cell phones while operating your VIA bus. Since the cameras were installed three VIA bus operators have been fired due to cell phone use.

Unfortunately for Betty Jo Hummel, last June a VIA driver in rush hour traffic on 410 never slowed down prior to hitting Ms. Hummel's SUV.

"It was horrible," said Hummel. "It was the most horrific thing I've probably ever lived through."

She never saw the VIA bus coming and did not know that it was caught on tape until the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Brian Colliser showed it to her.

Adrian Perez, the driver of the VIA bus, was texting for at least six minutes right before he crashed into the back of her SUV.

Tips by passengers are what lead to the termination of most of these drivers using cell phones while operating a city vehicle.

If you see a VIA driver using their phone, call VIA and report them at 362-2020. Make sure you give them the bus number. I find it even more frustrating that the law limits the amount a person injured by a negligent VIA bus driver can recover. So if one of these drivers permanently injures someone from this dangerous behavior, the injured person will not be able to fully recover.

Full post as published by San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer on April 29, 2009 (boomark / email).