Why Intersection Crashes Are Among the Most Dangerous

Crash investigators call a crash where one vehicle enters an intersection against the light and strikes another broadside a front-into-side, or right-angle, collision. This crash type ranks among the most punishing in traffic safety for a simple structural reason: the side of a passenger vehicle has far less crush space between the occupant and the point of impact than the front or rear. The vehicle lacks an engine compartment, trunk, or several feet of frame to absorb energy — often just a door panel.

The national numbers reflect that danger. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that crashes involving red light running killed 1,119 people and injured more than 141,000 in 2024. Notably, about half of those killed were pedestrians, bicyclists, and occupants of other vehicles—not the drivers who ran the light. These are people who had the right of way and no meaningful chance to react.

IIHS research also indicates these crashes are unevenly distributed. In 2024, drivers who ran red lights in fatal multi-vehicle red-light-running crashes were more likely to speed or be alcohol-impaired at the time, have prior crashes or impaired-driving convictions, and lack a valid license compared to the other involved drivers.

Why “No Serious Injuries” is Not the Same as “No Injuries”

School buses protect the children inside them. Their height, weight, and compartmentalized seating—closely spaced, high-backed, energy-absorbing seats—offer better protection to students struck by a passenger car than almost any other vehicle. That protection likely explains why 30 students walked away from Friday’s crash without reported serious injury.

However, children do not wear seat belts or other safety restraints on a bus. The abrupt lateral movement of a bus struck in the side can throw them against seat backs, windows, and each other. Soft-tissue neck and back injuries, concussions, and dental or facial injuries often do not appear at the roadside. Emergency responders sent five students for observation accordingly. Medical professionals generally advise parents to have their children evaluated even when children say they feel fine. See the American Academy of Pediatrics guidance on school bus safety.

The psychological impact also often gets overlooked. A serious crash on the way to school can produce lasting anxiety about riding the bus, sleep disruption, and trouble concentrating in class. Districts routinely provide counselors after incidents like this one.

What This Kind of Crash Can Mean for Families

Speaking generally rather than about this specific case: running a red light violates Georgia’s traffic code. Courts recognize that evidence showing a driver broke a safety statute carries real weight in proving negligence in a civil claim—a principle sometimes called negligence per se.

Georgia also treats a minor’s injury claim differently from an adult’s. Parents or guardians typically bring claims on the child’s behalf. The statute of limitations on a child’s personal injury claim typically tolls during minority, giving the child more time than an adult would have. However, a parent’s separate claim for the child’s medical expenses, however, runs on the ordinary two-year deadline. Courts often require approval to settle minor claims above certain thresholds. Additionally, for a claim involving a public entity, the law may require ante litem notice with much shorter deadlines. See more at the Georgia Department of Law – Tort Claims.

Whatever legal path parents pursue, the practical steps remain the same: promptly get the child medically evaluated; keep every record from the emergency room and follow-up visits; request the official crash report once available from the local DeKalb County Police Department; and document how the child is doing in the days and weeks afterward. Contemporaneous records later differentiate well-documented injuries from those hard to substantiate.

The intersection at Fisher Trail and Briarcliff Road sits in a residential stretch of DeKalb County that carries heavy morning school traffic. As of this writing, the investigation remains open.