Whenever people in the valley hear about a school bus crash in the news, they usually pay more attention to it than they would a typical auto accident. That’s because in a school bus collision, the possibility exists for dozens of children to suffer injuries. However, it’s important to keep in mind that people can get hurt in school bus accidents even when the bus is not transporting kids.

Such was the case this week in Las Vegas. On Tuesday afternoon around 2pm, a school bus was traveling west on Flamingo Road after having taken home children who attended Thorpe Elementary School. The bus was about three miles away from Orr Middle School (where it was headed to pick up more children) when it was involved in a collision with a sedan near Sandhill Road. The crash sent the driver of the car to Sunrise Hospital with injuries that were described as non-life threatening.

The news story doesn’t mention how the crash took place or which driver was at fault. But if a subsequent investigation determines that the bus driver was responsible for the collision, then the sedan driver would have solid grounds for a personal injury lawsuit not only against the bus driver, but also Clark County Schools which operates the bus. The suit could allow the plaintiff to collect reimbursement of ambulance charges, hospitalization expenses, and physical therapy or medication costs; as well as unearned wages from work absenteeism and possibly even monetary damages for pain and suffering.