Bus Crash in Philadelphia Injures 16
Posted on May 18, 2010
Filed Under IN THE NEWS
On Monday May 17 at 3:00pm, a bus owned by Del Val Staffing flipped over several times in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia. The driver exited I-95 at the Allegheny/Castor Ave. exit when the driver lost his brakes, and then lost control. There were several injuries, including one which was critical. This picture is from the Philadelphia Inquirer article.
Right off the bat, I would say things look very bad for the people at Del Val Staffing. One, it appears as if Del Val Staffing may not have a DOT #, despite this trip taking place in interstate commerce. Two, more importantly, it appears the bus did not have any brakes. This takes place in the jurisdiction where a no-brake fatality accident in January 2009 on the Schuylkill Expressway ended up in jail time a few weeks ago. In that case, a truck driver smashed into stopped traffic, causing one fatality. He could not stop his truck due to severely worn brakes. The driver received jail time, as well as his boss, who knew about the bad brakes, and the owner of a repair shop, who had sold them current inspections stickers, without actually doing the inspection.
Last week, I was arguing with a colleague about the value of the DOT. On the one side, I think they often crucify small business for things which have nothing to do with safety. On the other hand, when they punish obvious, willful, dangerous people, they are actually doing their job. I applaud the DOT people who brought the Schuylkill Expressway case to a successful conclusion, and hope they thoroughly investigate this accident as well.
_________________________
Eric Arnold is a Former Enforcement Agent with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and a leading expert on USDOT compliance for small businesses. Do you have a question for Eric Arnold? Email him at eric@arnoldsafety.com.
Arnold Safety simplifies D.O.T. Compliance for commercial vehicle operators. Get Eric Arnold’s USDOT Compliance Guide, DVD, & Regulations at ArnoldSafety.Com.
Learn more about Arnold Safety compliance consulting services at ArnoldSafety.Com.
Comments
One Response to “Bus Crash in Philadelphia Injures 16”
Leave a Reply
Well, the FMCSA fined Del Val Staffing $3,420 last week for a large variety of safety violations. If you think $3,420 seems like a slap on the wrist…. there may be more going on behind the scenes. This FMCSA office assisted in a criminal case on the Schuylkill Expressway not too long ago, although in that case, someone got killed.