Camden County elementary schools may bus students to nearby Philadelphia-area attractions such as the Please Touch Museum and the Philadelphia Zoo, both located across the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Older grades may visit the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, NJ, and working farms in the Mullica Hill and Mount Laurel areas of South Jersey. 

Families in nearby Camden County towns such as Haddon Heights, Runnemede, Barrington, Oaklyn, and Brooklawn send their children on these same school-sponsored trips, so a school bus accident can affect any local family, no matter which district organized the outing.

If the bus is owned by a public school district or the driver is its employee, your claim falls under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act, N.J.S.A. 59:1-1 et seq. If your child has been injured on a field trip bus, contact a Camden County personal injury attorney as soon as possible to protect your family’s rights and meet the strict filing deadlines.

Who Actually Owns Your Child’s Field Trip Bus?

Many South Jersey schools hire private bus companies through a bidding process. New Jersey school districts that contract with private bus companies are subject to pupil transportation regulations under N.J.A.C. 6A:27, and procurement requirements under the New Jersey Public School Contracts Law (N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-1 et seq.).

• Under the New Jersey Tort Claims Act (N.J.S.A. 59:8-8), if your accident involved a government entity, you must file a written notice of claim with the relevant public entity within 90 days of the date the claim accrued.
• If your child is injured on a school bus, your family usually has the right to sue. The process depends on who owns and operates the bus. If a private bus company is responsible, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against them in New Jersey Superior Court within two years under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2.

Courts may allow a late notice filing under extraordinary circumstances pursuant to N.J.S.A. 59:8-9; it’s best to verify the current statutory time limit against the official New Jersey Legislature website (njleg.state.nj.us) to confirm the applicable window. This requirement does not apply to claims against private parties, which are governed by a separate two-year statute of limitations. Consult an attorney promptly to protect your rights and start a personal injury claim.

The bus company usually owns the bus, hires the driver, and provides liability insurance. Families can often sue the contractor directly, without the extra steps needed for public entities. However, the school district could still be responsible if it was careless in choosing or supervising the contractor.

Steps Parents Should Take After a School Bus Accident

Many of the crashes our office handles occur on the way into or out of Philadelphia. The Walt Whitman Bridge, Ben Franklin Bridge, and I-676 are key roadways connecting South Jersey and Camden County to Philadelphia. Crescent Boulevard serves as a local connector road within Camden County.

• Buses going to Mount Laurel from Camden typically take Route 38 East, which is the most direct route. Alternatively, buses from other parts of New Jersey may use the New Jersey Turnpike (Exit 4) and Route 73 to reach Mount Laurel. 
• Buses going to Mullica Hill farms typically take Route 322 or Route 45 (via I-295 or Route 55). The two destinations are in different counties and are not served by the same route corridor. 

School bus drivers in New Jersey are required to hold a commercial driver’s license (CDL) with a school bus endorsement, as required under applicable New Jersey statutes and regulations, including N.J.S.A. 39:3-10.1 and N.J.A.C. 6A:27 et seq. Steps to take in the first week:

• Get your child medical attention immediately, even if injuries seem minor;
• Photograph any visible injuries and keep all medical records;
• Request the school’s incident report in writing the same day;
• Find out the bus contractor’s name and commercial auto policy number;
• Save the original permission slip and any school communications; and
• Contact a personal injury attorney before giving any recorded statement.

The 90-day deadline for the Tort Claims Act can pass before a parent even knows a public entity is involved.

Can a Permission Slip Stop You from Suing?

The permission slip your school sends home probably includes a liability waiver. New Jersey courts have already decided whether these waivers are valid. The answer is no, at least when it comes to negligence claims involving children. 

In Hojnowski v. Vans Skate Park, 187 N.J. 323 (2006), the New Jersey Supreme Court held that a pre-injury liability waiver signed by a parent on behalf of a minor child in a commercial recreational context violates public policy and is unenforceable. 

The Court reasoned that under its parens patriae duty to protect minors, parents cannot waive a child’s right to recover for future negligence. That ruling applies just as much to a school field trip permission slip as it does to a skatepark waiver. The waiver may still affect a few pieces of your case:

• Arbitration clauses are sometimes enforceable;
• Assumption of risk language may shape the negligence analysis at trial; and
• Schools will often claim exceptions under the Tort Claims Act.

However, signing a permission slip rarely ends a valid accident claim.

FAQs About South Jersey School Bus Accident Claims

Contact Our New Jersey School Bus Accident Attorneys at Petrillo & Goldberg Today

Seeing your child come home hurt after what should have been a fun day at the museum or zoo is every parent’s nightmare. Petrillo & Goldberg has the experience to determine who is at fault, which deadlines matter, and which state’s law will best help your family. Contact us today at 856-249-9295 for a free, confidential consultation.