Boy Slips Under School Bus And Is Run Over
A 5-year-old boy suffered critical injuries Wednesday in Minneapolis after he slipped on an icy patch and was run over by a school bus.
Police identified the kindergartner as Gabriel Grieling. The Star Tribune reported that Gabriel was waiting for the bus with his mother about 6:45 a.m. at E. 32nd Street and Elliot Avenue when the accident occurred.
Minneapolis Police Sgt. Bill Palmer gave this account to the Star Tribune: “When the driver pulled up, the mother asked him whether it was her son’s bus. When he told her it wasn’t, they stepped back, the driver closed the door, looked around and started to move.”
Palmer said the boy had apparently slipped on ice and the bus rolled over him. His injuries include a broken leg and broken pelvis. He was listed in critical condition after surgery.
Palmer said the driver won’t face charges, but this accident may result in slip and fall claims. Municipalities and other governmental bodies are provided some immunity from liability for injuries arising from slips and falls on slippery streets and sidewalks, meaning most of the time they are not liable for these injuries. But there are exceptions to their immunity.
In a recent Minnesota case involving slip and fall on ice and snow, the court stated that immunity “does not protect the municipality in the case where an accumulation of ice and snow is negligently permitted to remain for such a length of time as to cause the formation thereon by artificial means, of slippery and dangerous ridges, depressions and irregularities to such an extent as to render the street or sidewalk dangerous and unsafe for use”. Read about Minnesota slip and fall on ice and snow.
This Minneapolis school bus accident may also involve claims against the driver of the bus, the bus company and others. Buses are common carriers and are obligated to provide a higher level of safety. They fit into the same category as trains and planes. Liability issues in bus accidents often involve driver negligence, driver training, dangerous roadways and weather conditions. Read Minnesota bus accident attorney information.
