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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Courts may allow a late notice filing under extraordinary circumstances pursuant to N.J.S.A. 59:8-9; it\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 90-day deadline for the Tort Claims Act can pass before a parent even knows a public entity is involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n