A bus driver from Edinburgh has been fined five hundred pounds and banned from driving for nine months after causing a crash which resulted in injuries including whiplash, because he was waving to friends. Mr Chalmers was a driver for First Group buses at the time of the crash.

On a normal day at work he had stopped his bus at Edinburgh’s main bus station and picked up ten passengers. As he was pulling out of the station he became distracted by some of his friends and started waving to them. He did not notice until too late that the bus in front had stopped and drove his bus straight into the back of it. Most passengers on board suffered and needed hospital treatment.

Mr Chalmers was sentenced at Edinburg Sheriff Court after pleading guilty for dangerous driving. He was told that his standard of driving for someone who is in charge of a public vehicle was well below what was expected. Because of the accident, passengers suffered injuries which may cause them long last pain and suffering. One man sustained a ten centimetre cut to his chin which required 6 stitches, whilst another woman needed three stitches for a cut to her eyebrow. The other passengers suffered a range of injuries including bruising, whiplash and back and neck pain. They were taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment.

The bad news for those passengers is that their injuries could have longer lasting effects. Whiplash injuries when sustained in a car accident can if severe lead to prolonged headaches, dizziness and feeling sick. However there is more protection in a car against these types of injuries as they tend to have larger crumple zones and all passengers are able to wear seat belts. In a bus there is no such luxury meaning whiplash and other neck injuries can be more damaging. The effects of whiplash can affect people for months after the event and in some cases even years. Whiplash can also take time to manifest itself, so people may not be aware of the full extent of their injuries until a little while after the event. Often when there has been road traffic accidents medical staff will put injured parties into neck braces as the likelihood of sustaining a whiplash injury is high. This is a precautionary measure until full medical checks can be carried out and x-rays taken to ensure no bones in the neck or spine have been fractured or broken, which can occur due in a whiplash injury.

People expect that they will be safe when using public transport but like using all vehicles on the roads there is an element of risk. However drivers should be properly training and have attained a high standard of driving proficiency before being allowed to drive public vehicles. In the case of Mr Chalmers, extra training has been provided which will hopefully prevent similar accidents from happening in the future and lessen the risk of passengers being injured.

Danielle is an author of several articles pertaining to No Win No Fee, Compensation Claims, Whiplash Claims, Personal Injury Claims and other legal articles.