Two students who were involved in an accident at Ralston Middle School last year have filed lawsuits. The accident, which occurred on May 2 last year, occurred when Mauro Yan, a 70-year-old man driving a sport utility vehicle, rammed into a group of school children who were standing at the curb waiting for the bus. At least 13 students were injured. The SUV ended up slammed against a tree after hitting the students, and several of the victims found themselves trapped below the SUV. Luckily, there was a gap, and nobody was crushed; injuries could otherwise have been more severe.

The students suffered a range of injuries, including pelvis injuries, head lacerations, liver injuries and head injuries.

At the time, no one knew what caused the 70-year-old driver to lose control of the car. His granddaughter reportedly studied at the same school, and he had come to pick her up. She was in the car at the time of the accident.

It later came to light that the school has always had a problem with overcrowding of cars. There are no clear demarcations between the bus stops, and the school has been mentioned in Ian Wickle’s lawsuit. He mentions Yan, the school board, the city of Belmont, San Mateo County Transit District, vice principal of the school at the time of the accident and an employee of the SamTrans bus that the boys were waiting for. Ian was one of those very seriously injured by the crash. His scalp had been ripped from his head and had peeled open. Alexander Cano’s lawsuit mentioned only Mauro Yan.

The school board has been named for neglecting to put in place proper measures to safeguard students as they boarded the buses. The employee of SamTrans and the vice principal were named because they failed to make sure that students were allowed to board the bus safely. Alexander Cano’s parents say that they only named Yan because he was the one in control of the car.

It seems like many different factors came together to cause this accident. The school was obviously negligent in not making proper arrangements for students to board their buses, and for not providing an adequate sized bus boarding area for the students. Although no reckless driving charges were filed against Yan, it does seem that there were some poor reflexes here. There were no skid marks at the scene of the crash, which means that he did not attempt to slam the brakes. He seems to have slammed on the gas, instead of the brakes. You can’t just walk away from an accident you caused unscathed because it might have been a mistake.

All in all, an accident like this taking place inside a public school is a shame. That more children were not injured in this crash was more a matter of luck than safety measures or Yan’s carefulness. Yan may find himself targeted in a joint lawsuit including all 13 students in the future.

If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.