Knoxville man killed in collision with church bus

A collision on July 17 involving a church bus and two vehicles claimed the life of a 54-year-old Knoxville man. The bus driver told responding police officers that the auto accident may have been caused by a failure of his vehicle’s braking system. A representative from the Knoxville Police Department said that the bus ran through a red light prior to the collision.

The bus was operated by a church in Brazil, and it was carrying 18 people to a conference in Knoxville. The pastor of the church said that several occupants of the bus were transported by paramedics to area hospitals for treatment, but only one of them had yet to be released at the time of the report. The man killed was traveling in one of the vehicles struck by the bus. He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency response personnel.

Authorities say that charges may be filed, but that decision will not be made until the investigation into the cause of the accident has been completed. Accident investigators from the Tennessee Highway Patrol have been called in to examine the bus to ascertain if mechanical failure was responsible. A representative from the Indiana State Patrol said that annual safety inspections are required for church buses, but he added that the enforcement of this regulation is not strict.

The families of those killed in a motor vehicle accident may have legal remedies available to them when their loss is due to the negligent actions of others. These families often face severe financial pressures including medical expenses and funeral costs, and these problems are often compounded by the loss of a source of household income. A personal injury attorney could file a wrongful death lawsuit on their behalf seeking to hold the parties at fault financially responsible for the consequences of their negligent actions.

Source: MyWabashValley.com , “Brazil Church Bus Involved in Fatal Crash in TN”, Kyle Inskeep, July 18, 2014