School Bus Safety Seminar Provides Guidelines for Navigating Liability

June 4, 2023

Consultant Dick Fisher, speaks about liability of school bus operations at STN EXPO Indy on June 2, 2023 on liability. (Photo by Taylor Ekbatani.)

INDIANAPOLIS — In an interactive four-hour seminar, industry veteran Dick Fisher explained the importance documentation plays in protecting districts in court.

Fisher, who began driving a school bus in 1956, is currently the owner of Trans-consultant, a role he’s had since 1977. During the opening general session at STN EXPO Indianapolis, he discussed accidents from a plaintiff’s perspective and provided guidance for navigating liability.

He started by passing out a “test” with questions that asked attendees what they would do in certain situations. Other questions focused on following distances and stopping distances at certain speeds. Fisher noted that the questions in the test are similar to what could be asked in court, especially if a crash results in a fatality.

He advised when testifying in court, to answer questions with certainty and with reasoning for why that’s the correct answer.

Several other worksheets he shared discussed questions that directors should be asking themselves when it comes to certain aspects of the job, as well as record-keeping documents to keep track of training and driver/director interactions.

Fisher also discussed the difference between criminal and civil liability. The former is when a crime is committed and the latter involves negligence in performing job duties.

This, he said, is why training and related documentation is extremely important when anything goes wrong.