Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso & Spier Files Suit on Behalf of Victim of Fatal Dec. 1 MIA Bus Crash

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Miami trial law firm Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso & Spier has sued the bus company and the driver in the deadly Dec. 1 bus crash at Miami International Airport.

“This is a clear case of driver inattentiveness. Issues of lack of qualifications, the inadequacy of training, and insufficient trip planning are common errors we see in these large commercial vehicle crashes.”

Miriam Lorenza Machado was seriously injured when the driver carrying 32 mostly elderly Jehovah’s Witnesses to a convention in West Palm Beach got lost and wound up at Miami International Airport, smashing into a concrete overpass, killing two and sending 13 to the Ryder Trauma Center, where Ms. Machado has been in the ICU.

Stephen F. Rossman, the founding partner of Rossman, Baumberger, Reboso & Spier, filed suit late Thursday on behalf of Miriam Lorenza Machado in Miami-Dade Circuit Court against the owners of the bus, Miami Bus Service Corp. and Miami Bus Service II Corp., and their driver, Ramon Ferreiro.

(Miriam Lorenza Machado v. Miami Bus Service Corp. et al.: Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Case No. 12-47452 CA 13)

The 11-foot high bus smashed into a clearly-marked 8-foot-six-inch clearance, despite numerous posted warning signs, shearing off the first 16 feet of the bus, smashing in the roof, hurtling passengers, and sending twisted metal and shards of shattered fiberglass within the bus and through a wide surrounding area. Ms. Machado was in the third row. Ms. Machado and others among the seriously injured were lifted out of the bus by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. Ferreiro, the driver, who was below the passenger deck, was unhurt.

“This story is tragic and mind-boggling,” Rossman said. “This is a clear case of driver inattentiveness. Issues of lack of qualifications, the inadequacy of training, and insufficient trip planning are common errors we see in these large commercial vehicle crashes.”

Ms. Machado is a retired widow who lives alone. Family members said she has been in critical condition, having sustained serious injuries to her face, ribs, spine, and spleen. She required life-saving surgery to control internal bleeding.

Members of her family said she had exercised daily and was in good condition prior to the crash.