Utah Personal Injury Blog - Mass Transit (Airline, Cruise Ship, Train, Bus)

The Band Marches On - Update

Bret Hanna — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:24:29 GMT

I posted an update on the American Fork band's recent successes the other day and indicated that I would follow-up when more information was available. Shortly after I posted, Sara Fulkerson posted the following comment with information on how the band can be supported in their quest to compete next week in the Bands of America Grand National Championships to be held in Indianapolis:

Posted by Sara Fulkerson
November 09, 2009 11:00 PM

As per their website, afbands.org, all donations should to be sent to the Alpine Foundation c/o American Fork High School Marching Band (575 N. 100 E. American Fork, UT 84003) or you can contact Wendy Jones at (801) 400-7482.

It doesn't look good right now and the band promises to return all funds if they are unable to reach the $250,000 to get to Grand Nationals. I'm sure the students will remain positive, they are such a great group of kids. I'd really like to see them go - especially since many of them (including all four drum majors) are seniors this year.

Apparently the word got out because the band has raised the money and they are on their way.

The band was able to raise $280,000 in about 48 hours from students, parents and the community and at a meeting held last night, the Alpine School Board approved an expedited request for permission allowing the band to make the trip. A semi carrying their equipment will leave for Indiana on Wednesday, and the band and crew will follow by plane on Thursday.

The competition will start with a field of 125 bands and the American Fork band will compete at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. The field will be narrowed to 35 for competition on Saturday morning and then to 12 for the final competition Saturday evening. Please join me in wishing them the best of luck.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna

The Band Marches On

Bret Hanna — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:07:25 GMT

I've posted before about the tragic October accident involving the American Fork band which was returning from a competition in Idaho in a caravan of buses. On October 10th, one of the buses rolled and woodwinds instructor Heather Christensen was killed after she was partially ejected.

The band won the completion in Pocatello just before the accident and despite their mourning, and perhaps encouraged by the spirit of their lost teacher, the band has been on a roll. On October 13th, the band won the Rocky Mountain Regional competition held in Provo. Last Friday, the band won the state championship and then took first place the Bands of American Western Regional Championship in St. George on Saturday.

Now the band has its sights set on the national championship in Indianapolis next week. The catch is that it will cost approximately $250,000 to get the the 225 band members to the competition. School district officials and band parents were scheduled to meet today to decide whether to attempt to raise the travel expenses. Let's hope they decide to go for it and if they do, I'll post on what their plans are and how you can help.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna

Bus Crash Injures Dozens of Students and Kills One Teacher - Update (2)

Bret Hanna — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:48:42 GMT

This is my third post on this tragic accident. The first provides the details of the accident and highlights the heroism of Heather Christensen, the music teacher that tried to prevent the accident, and the second highlighted the outpouring of love from the community to those impacted and gives an update on the condition of those injured in the accident. But it appears that the American Fork High School marching band is unstoppable and another update is in order.

The band was one of 25 that participated in the Rocky Mountain Band Competition held Tuesday evening at LaVell Edwards Stadium on the BYU campus in Provo. The weather was cold and rainy, but that didn't stop them from putting on a dazzling performance in front of the record crowd of 8,000 who gave them a standing ovation before they were awarded the first-place prize. Their performance was dedicated to fallen World War II heroes and to Christensen. If you want to keep up with this inspiring group of people, you can follow them by checking their Web site.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna

Bus Crash Injures Dozens of Students and Kills One Teacher - Update

Bret Hanna — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:08:32 GMT

This is an update to my post from last evening, which detailed the tragic bus accident Saturday that injured scores of students and took the life of a treasured high school music teacher. A memorial service was held for 33-year-old Heather Christensen last night at American Fork High School, to honor her and to thank her for giving her life - she was trying to gain control of the steering wheel after the driver blacked out but she was partially ejected through a window as the bus rolled.

Family members and Governor Herbert joined around a thousand others to remember the gifted woodwind teacher who herself was a graduate of American Fork High School. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University Of Utah and then taught at several area schools before returning to her alma mater as a faculty member. A viewing is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at Anderson & Sons Mortuary, and the funeral is scheduled at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday at the Alpine Tabernacle with a viewing beforehand.

All of the students who were taken to the hospital have now been released which is excellent news. The bus driver, 50-year-old Debra Jarvis of Spanish Fork, was listed in stable condition last night but her current status is unknown. Jarvis' employer,Lake Shore Motor Coach Lines of Provo, has not been available for comment.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna

Bus Crash Injures Dozens of Students and Kills One Teacher

Bret Hanna — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:34:23 GMT

The American Fork High School band traveled to Pocatello, Idaho, over the weekend to participate in a band competition, and they took first place. But their fun trip took a tragic turn on the return to Utah and their excitement over the win quickly faded.

A charter bus carrying about one fourth of the group rolled Saturday on Interstate 15 near McCammon, Idaho, about 140 miles north of Salt Lake City after the driver blacked out at the wheel. The hero of the day was a woodwind teacher who saw what was happening and dove for the steering wheel in an attempt to bring the bus back onto the road. Heather Christensen was able to grab the wheel but she was thrown through a window as the bus rolled and she died at the scene. Two students were life flighted and 12 were transported by ambulance with serious injuries, and an additional 30 students were taken to a Pocatello hospital with minor injuries.

The question is how did this happen and what could have been done to prevent it? Witnesses report that the bus driver had some sort of sudden stomach ache and that she blacked out as a result. Possible, of course, but odd. The Idaho State Police continues to investigate the accident. I hope they are looking into the type of medical screening the charter company conducts before putting drivers behind the wheel. And whether medical reviews are done routinely after divers are hired to ensure that they stay healthy enough to drive the busses safely. Also, what sort of stomach ache comes on so quickly and intensely that it causes a black out? Let's hope that the coming days bring the answers to these questions and a quick recovery for those injured. In the meantime, our thoughts are with the Christensen family.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna

What's Up with Des Moines Transit Buses Turning Left and Hitting People?

Bret Hanna — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:38:08 GMT

According to a report today on NPR, Des Moines transit buses have hit seven pedestrians in the last two years while making left turns. Seven. That seems like a lot. And the most recent accident occurred just this past Monday.

The city initially addressed the problem by increasing driver training, erecting warning signs for pedestrians, and forbidding the use of cell phones by bus drivers while on duty. And now the city has taken two additional steps to curb the accidents. Drivers must now honk as they make turns to warn pedestrians and they must follow new routes in the downtown core that do not include left-hand-turns. The second step seems to make sense by eliminating the left-hand-turn danger altogether. The second, however, seems a bit misguided. The honk requirement does nothing to increase a bus driver's awareness of pedestrians who may be in their path. Rather, it puts the burden on pedestrians to get out of the way if they hear a honk - even if they have the right-of-way in a cross walk. Whatever happened to the notion that as between vehicles and pedestrians, pedestrians have the right-of-way?

To be fair, Des Moines is not the only city that has this problem. An article in The Plain Dealer last January reports that Cleveland had nine left bus accidents in a two year period, eight of them involving pedestrians. Los Angeles and Minneapolis have also had similar accidents and the list goes on. So what can done?

The recipe does not seem that complex. First, there must be clear and effective operation policies in place to ensure safe driving. Next, agencies must carefully screen and hire drivers to make sure that there are no issues with accident histories, moving violations, etc. Once hired, drivers must be carefully trained on the safe driving policies and finally, once on the road, there must be consistent oversight to ensure that drivers are following the safe driving policies. If the proper steps are taken, the number of such left turn bus accidents, and bus accidents in general, will be greatly reduced.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Bret Hanna