Multiple people were injured in a school bus accident in Madison, New York after the bus was hit from behind by a pickup truck. According to a news report, New York State Police said the accident occurred the morning of May 7 and involved two vehicles. They said a pickup truck driven by Joshua Smith Sr., 35, of Eaton, struck the Madison Central School District bus that was stopped on Route 20. The truck operator was trapped in the vehicle and was extricated by emergency personnel before being transported to Wynn Hospital in Utica for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Two children from the truck were also transported for evaluation. The bus driver, 29-year-old Savannah Bridge, and two children on board the bus were transported to Hamilton Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Officials said the school bus had activated its warning lights and stopped before the crash. Smith was issued a number of traffic tickets. Officials said Smith was following too closely and was distracted while driving. The investigation is ongoing. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those injured and we wish them the best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Distracted Driving Accident Statistics
Distracted driving continues to be one of the leading causes of car accidents across the United States. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,208 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2024 and 315,167 people were injured in distraction-related accidents.
Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines visual, manual and cognitive distractions. NHTSA reports that reading or sending a text can take a driver’s eyes off the road for about five seconds, which is enough time for a vehicle to travel the length of a football field at highway speeds. Safety experts also warn that distracted driving now extends beyond texting to social media use, streaming videos, GPS adjustments and in-vehicle touchscreen systems, all of which can significantly increase crash risks.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, or if you have lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident caused by a negligent (careless) driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you. It is in the best interest of injured victims and their families in such cases to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer before contacting the people responsible for the injuries, and definitely before contacting or communicating with any insurance company, or their lawyers, investigators, or adjusters.
For over 54 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. We also recovered $1,500,000 for a lady who was hurt by a bus, although there was only a 1 million dollar insurance policy and we got $500,000 above that insurance policy.
We also obtained $295,000 out of a $300,000 insurance policy in compensation for the victim of a bicycle dooring accident (where a car door opens into the path of a bicyclist). One of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases. Also, we got a $1,400,000 verdict in a motorcycle accident.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases, motor vehicle accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, lead poisoning, paraplegia cases, quadriplegia cases and medical malpractice cases including, brachial plexus palsy (Erb’s palsy) and cerebral palsy cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source:https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/education/2026/05/08/truck-crashes-into-school-bus-madison-ny-multiple-injured/89992704007/