Lakewood School Bus Crash in Montvale Highlights Concerns About Safety in NJ’s School Bus Industry

15 Injured in Overturned Lakewood School Bus Crash on Garden State Parkway

School buses carry our most valuable and irreplaceable passengers—our children. However, recent serious accidents have revealed alarming safety failures within New Jersey’s school bus system. The Montvale crash last night is yet another tragic example of the dangers that persist, reinforcing the urgent need for the safety reforms that Corradino & Papa is dedicated to pursuing.

“Having represented families affected by school bus accidents, I am deeply concerned about the recent incident on the Garden State Parkway in Montvale, New Jersey, where a school bus overturned, critically injuring a 14-year-old boy and harming several others,” said attorney Timothy J. Fonseca, a partner at Corradino & Papa.

A father himself, as well as a personal injury attorney deeply committed to improving the safety of New Jersey’s school transportation system, Tim Fonseca added, “Beyond the physical injuries, an accident like this can be deeply traumatic for the children involved, leaving lasting emotional scars that must not be overlooked.

A Highway School Bus Accident With Serious Consequences

The March 10, 2025, collision left 15 injured, including one boy “fighting for his life,” according to NorthJersey.com.

According to the news source, the bus was traveling north on the Garden State Parkway when it veered off the right side of the road around milepost 170.5 and overturned. New Jersey State Police troopers responded at 7:39 p.m. A 14-year-old boy sustained critical injuries as a result of being pinned beneath the overturned bus. Thirteen other children, as well as the 44-year-old bus driver, were injured.

“It is imperative that a thorough investigation be conducted to determine whether any safety lapses contributed to this tragic event,” said Tim Fonseca. “Ensuring the safety of our children during transportation must remain our utmost priority, and any identified issues must be promptly addressed to prevent future occurrences.”

The New Jersey Office of School Bus Safety: Ensuring Accountability and Preventing Tragedies

The New Jersey Office of School Bus Safety plays a crucial role in ensuring school buses operate safely, enforcing regulations, and holding companies and drivers accountable when failures occur. Their role is especially critical following serious accidents, where investigations determine whether safety violations, driver misconduct, or maintenance failures played a role.

As Mr. Fonseca of Corradino & Papa explained, “[i]n past accidents, investigations have revealed preventable failures, such as unqualified drivers behind the wheel, inadequate training, overworked or exhausted drivers, and poorly maintained buses. When these failures lead to tragedy, holding the bus company and the drivers they employ accountable is not just about seeking justice for victims—it’s a necessary step in preventing similar accidents in the future.”

Swift and decisive action is essential to prevent further tragedies. The Office must enforce safety regulations, penalize negligence, and ensure that every school bus on the road is properly maintained and operated by qualified drivers. Without strong oversight and accountability, preventable accidents will continue to put children at risk.

Systemic Safety Issues in NJ’s School Bus Network

Fonseca has firsthand experience with the serious consequences of safety failures in New Jersey’s school bus system, which can have devastating impacts on families' lives. He is already representing the family of a young girl who suffered life altering injuries after a bus driver disregarded protocols and left her at an unauthorized bus stop in Woodland Park, where she was subsequently struck by a vehicle. Additionally, he is representing individuals affected by a driver who crashed a school bus while he was intoxicated in West Caldwell, NJ.

In a February 2025 report on failures in the New Jersey school bus system, NorthJersey.com highlighted the tragic story of the preventable Woodland Park bus accident—and the serious injuries that resulted—as a stark example of the consequences of failures in the school bus system.

“This should have never happened,” the NorthJersey.com article quoted attorney Tim Fonseca as saying, regarding the Woodland Park bus accident. “It’s entirely preventable.”

Numerous failures have so far been implicated in bus accident injury claims, including:

Unqualified, unfit and/or dangerous drivers entrusted with operating a school bus
Negligent operation driving, such as speeding, driver inattention, distracted driving, and failing to signal stops or turns
Undertrained, inexperienced, and/or overworked drivers
Inadequate driver screening, such as failing to conduct background checks of applicants and hiring bus drivers with a history of substance abuse or reckless driving
Failing to follow established safety protocols and procedures
Insufficient supervision onboard the bus, enabling bullying or assaults
Hazardous road conditions, such as poor maintenance or lack of necessary signage on the road
Negligent Maintenance of vehicle leading to brake failures, steering loss, tire blowouts, engine malfunctions, and other mechanical failures

Every person or entity that contributes to preventable school bus accidents can be held legally responsible for the consequences. Bus drivers, bus companies, school districts, other vehicles, vehicle and parts manufacturers, and maintenance providers may all bear liability—and they must all be held fully accountable for their failures.

A Path Forward for Children Injured in School Bus Accidents

Through his work in high-profile school bus injury cases, Tim Fonseca aims to recover the full compensation injured children and their families deserve, ensuring they’re equipped to make the most complete recovery possible.

But that’s not Fonseca’s only mission in undertaking these complex cases. Exposing the faults and failures of New Jersey’s school transportation networks and demanding accountability is the key to addressing systemic issues within public safety infrastructures and making transportation safer for all of our children.

For families of children hurt in bus accidents, securing knowledgeable legal representation is critical for providing the resources children need. Cases involving school buses can pose unique challenges—including requirements that notice of claims against school districts be filed within 90 days—but bringing these defendants to justice is essential. Even in the face of life-altering injuries, receiving the resources the child is entitled to can make a difference in rehabilitation, recovery, and financial security.

Your number-one priority following a school bus accident must be to get the medical care your child requires—immediately and throughout their recovery. For help with everything else, from getting answers about how this tragic situation could have happened to handling claims paperwork and interactions with insurance companies, you have our team to rely on. At Corradino & Papa, we fight for each child injured in a school bus accident and each family impacted by preventable negligence, handling all aspects of the claims process to allow you to focus on caring for your child.