PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

irish_flu · #5 04-22-2008, 05:48 PM

I hate trying to get money out of taxpayer-funded organizations, but if it were my car I think I might ask the school to pay for any repairs.

I mean, if rocks fell off the gravel truck (yeah, they have the "not liable for windshields" thing here too, but their stupid sign has no bearing on the law)
they'd have to pay you for it (at least, in Indiana they would) because whatever come out of or off of your vehicle is your responsibility (and, more relevantly, your liability).

If you plan too turn it in to your insurance company, you should definitely explain the situation to them and see if they'll go after the school. That might change the school's response of "gee, tough luck" to "we're gonna find these kids and make them pay damages".

Honestly, screw the Transportation Department's response of "oops! we'll tell the drivers to watch for it". If a bus driver had backed into your Jag, would they have given you that kind of response? It's the same thing, IMHO. If the bus driver doesn't notice this sort of thing (my mom was a school bus driver, I guarantee she would have noticed) then maybe they shouldn't be a bus driver. I mean, what if a kid stuck his arm out while the bus was going by a sign or tree? That would truly be awful.

Kids will be kids, and they should be hollered at for it (as well as their parents made to pay), but the school corporation has a responsibility to hire drivers who can care for these kids (which includes making sure the kids and all their body parts remain inside the bus).

Bluntly, the Transportation Dept is being very lazy here. They know (roughly) what bus is at what location at a given time of day. Some buses also have assigned seating, so they might even have an idea of which kids it was.

Much like the kids won't think this is a big deal unless they get scolded, the school won't think it's a big deal if they don't have to make any effort to rectify the situation. At the very least, I'd go get a "free" repair estimate and then call them to ask if they plan to write you a check. The school buses are insured, and that's what insurance is for.