The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) recently published an opinion that a fatal bus crash in August 2008 may have been caused by a faulty retread tired that blew out on the highway.  The bus was on its way to Missouri when the right front tire blew and caused a crash that resulted in 17 deaths and numerous bus accident injury claims.  The NTSB is the national organization that will regularly investigate serious air and land crashes that require special expertise.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and federal law forbid a retreaded tire from being used on the front steer tires of a charter bus.

The charter company that hired out the bus involved in this fatal bus crash claim had a deficient safety rating according to the FMCSA.  An "unsatisfactory" safety rating is issued to commercial motor carriers who continuously fail to meet safety guidelines designed to protect passengers on buses and other drivers on the road.  After having its DOT number pulled, this particular bus company applied for a new DOT number under the guise of a newly-formed company, essentially obtaining new operating authority by fraud.

Serious bus accidents can cause catastrophic injury and death to passengers and others on the road.  It is critical to contact a bus accident injury lawyer immediately following one of these incidents, as evidence must be preserved and/or protected before it is lost.  Evidence such as the bus Electronic Control Module (ECM) must be downloaded by a qualified expert retained by the bus accident lawyer to make certain that it isn't altered or destroyed by the bus company.