Bus Accident Lawyer
Bus accident, just like every other automobile accident, are difficult and demand expert legal assistance in order to obtain compensation for your injuries. To avoid lawsuits and preserve their earnings and reputation, several bus transportation businesses provide compensation promptly after an accident. However, if the amount offered does not cover all of your costs and compensate you fairly for your pain and suffering, you should contact Texas Personal Injury Lawyers immediately.
However, when it comes to settling compensation quickly, having a lawyer check the offer is critical in obtaining a fair settlement that covers all of your medical and damage costs. Aside from that, a bus accident lawyer will give important legal guidance and gather more evidence to support your case. And because dealing with bus companies may be intimidating for the average person, a bus accident lawyer will handle the negotiations on your behalf until the issue is resolved.
Were You Injured in a Bus Accident?
If you or a loved one were in an accident caused by a bus while riding as a passenger or driver, or because of another car in which you were involved, contact Texas Personal Injury Lawyers immediately. Our bus accident lawyers have extensive expertise handling bus accident claims. Negligence on the part of the driver or company is responsible for a number of large bus accidents and rollovers. These are examples of possible causes:
- Driver Fatigue:
Bus drivers, like truckers, are notorious for driving long distances without taking breaks. This can be exhausting, especially if it’s late in the day. When you’re tired, your driving is similar to if you were drunk; your reaction time decreases and it’s easy to overlook something crucial, such as swerving over the yellow line or failing to see an animal run into the road.
- Distracted Driving:
It affects everyone, including those who drive for a living. Taking your eyes off the road for five seconds while traveling 55 mph is equivalent to driving a football field without looking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- Bus Driver Error:
If the bus driver is inexperienced or has received ineffective training from the busing firm, mistakes may occur. It might be as simple as approaching passengers too closely or as complicated as a broken down vehicle on the side of the road. Poor training and lack of experience can lead to major problems for everyone involved.
- Aggressive Driving or Speeding:
Buses need to follow specific routes in order to keep their schedules. However, when difficulties occur, such as traffic or passenger issues, the bus driver may easily fall behind schedule. This can lead to dangerous and imprudent driving. This not only endangers the bus passengers’ lives, but it also puts everyone on the road at risk.
- Intoxicated Driving:
It’s not only illegal, but it’s also extremely hazardous to drive while intoxicated. It can affect your judgment, muscle coordination, and reasoning, among other things. When driving, you must have certain skills.
- Bus Mechanical Failure:
The bus company is obligated to keep its vehicles in good working order. However, many times, simple upkeep may go unappreciated. This can lead to balding tires, sluggish braking systems, engine failure, and other problems that may be detected with a regular inspection. It’s not uncommon for it to be a bus manufacturing flaw.
Do I Need A Bus Accident Lawyer For My Case?
Unfortunately, victims of bus accidents are ill-equipped to handle the complex legal representation that the bus firms will immediately seek once the accident happens. Bus companies will go to great lengths and spend a lot of money in order to defend themselves. While you and your family are recovering from your accident, the bus company will have its team of experts constructing their case and possibly destroying critical evidence. Because of this, it is critical that you have a team of attorneys on your side who will go to the scene of the accident, collect evidence, and defend your rights.
Texas Personal Injury Lawyers are paid on a contingency fee basis, which means you can afford the best bus accident lawyers in the business. We don’t charge you anything until we win your case — that’s it.
Who Can Be Held Responsible Following A Bus Wreck?
A bus accident might involve numerous parties who are responsible for your injuries, much like a trucking accident.
The bus driver is often the first one to assign blame for the accident. They are the go-to defendant in your bus accident if they were acting carelessly or irresponsibly, or if they lost control of the vehicle at the time of impact.
If the driver was unskilled or did not get training, the bus firm may be held responsible for the accident. It is the responsibility of the bus company to ensure that all drivers are qualified to drive. Background checks, adequate training, drug testing, and so on are all things that might be checked.
Could it be the brakes? Is it possible that everything is fine, but something else is wrong with the vehicle such as a leak or other problem? The bus maker might be held liable if there was a vehicle design flaw.
What Should I Do Following A Bus Accident?
The injuries that can result from a bus accident may range from minor bumps, bruises, and scrapes to more severe problems such as fractured bones, internal damages, and even death.When larger, heavier buses run into smaller, lighter passenger cars, the passengers in the smaller vehicle can be badly injured or killed.
Every bus accident or rollover victim should receive immediate medical attention to ensure that their injuries are not life-threatening. Please seek prompt medical care if you have been in a bus accident and have incurred injuries.
Document everything you can about the accident once you’ve received medical attention. Take photographs if you can. Collect all of the essential information, such as names and phone numbers of those who witnessed the event.
You may be required to provide an explanation of the accident and your injuries. It’s a good idea not to say anything until you speak with a bus accident lawyer, even if the injuries appear minor. A simple “I’m fine,” for example, might harm your case.
Finally, consult with an attorney about your accident. Remember that the lawyers and insurance adjusters on behalf of the bus company will do everything they can to minimize your claims and even reject them. If you’re not familiar with how to determine the value of your injury, it’s easy enough to get caught up in the emotion and believe that the settlement is much greater than it truly is. They may even provide you a settlement that is far lower than what you are entitled to. Speak with an experienced bus accident lawyer as quickly as feasible regarding fair
Bus Crash Injuries And Losses
The severity of bus accident injuries cannot be overstated. A bus driver is frequently the negligent party in these circumstances, whether the vehicle caused the harm to the plaintiff due to their being a passenger in another car or because they were driving themselves. The following are examples of types of damage that a claimant may seek compensation for:
- Broken bones and fractures
- Burns and skin damage
- Whiplash and concussions
- Spinal cord trauma
- Wrongful death of a loved one
These injuries will necessitate medical treatment to treat, which may be costly, especially if they endure for months or years. Medical expenses can be reimbursed through a civil lawsuit, but they aren’t the only losses that a plaintiff can seek compensation for. If you or someone you know has been injured in an accident that was not their fault, you should consult a lawyer. Personal injury claims will enable you to seek compensation for medical expenses, missed income, and any other damages sustained as a result of the accident. This is critical to keep your family from going into debt.
Texas Personal Injury Lawyers may help a plaintiff determine what non-economic damages they might be eligible for. This includes things like suffering and loss of quality of life, as well as tangible costs such as pain and suffering.
A Bus Hit My Car — Who Can Be Held Liable?
If a school, tour, city, or other vehicle that may be classified as a “common carrier” (ie: a vehicle that transports large amounts of goods and/or people) collides with your car, you have the right to pursue legal action against multiple potential defendants. Because of this, it’s critical to obtain competent legal advice right away because these claims may quickly become complicated — especially if major corporations are involved.
The following parties are typically to blame for these sorts of bus accidents:
- School bus crashes.
Hearing that your child’s school bus has been in an accident is a circumstance no parent wants to be in. If you find yourself in this situation, you may hold many parties responsible. The school district, the maintenance personnel who worked on the school bus, the bus driver and/or the bus company/manufacturer are examples of parties that might be involved in the case.
- Tour bus accidents.
When touring bands, musicians, and other traveling groups pick a bus company, it’s important to do their due diligence since if an accident occurs, the fallout may come back to haunt them. Due to their enormous size, charter buses are some of the most hazardous vehicles on the road. Even at low speeds, serious injuries can occur when they are not operated correctly. Both the tour operator and bus firm may be held responsible in the case of a collision, as both were involved in an accident.
- City bus accidents.
If a city bus hits your car, you may hold the driver, firm, and municipality responsible. In most situations, however, it is essential that you hire an experienced legal counsel to pursue claims against the government since these processes are extremely difficult. At the time of the accident, obtain the bus number and license plate as well as speak with any witnesses on the scene who can help you later.
Again, the situation of the accident will determine who you can hold liable. For example, if a broken component or service is not deemed responsible for the accident, you probably cannot hold a maintenance worker responsible. It will be near-impossible to pursue a claim against government bodies, such as school districts or bus firms. However, do not let this deter you — you are entitled to compensation for damages.If you want a higher probability of seeing that justice is done, you should seek the counsel of an experienced personal injury lawyer from Texas Personal Injury Lawyers.
What Are Common Bus Accident Injuries?
Larger vehicles, including tractor-trailers and charter buses, are frequently involved in more severe motor vehicle accidents. As a result, the injuries that people suffer in these types of accident are often more life-altering — and even deadly — than other sorts of car crashes. If you or a loved one was hurt as a result of the bus driver’s or company’s negligence, you have the right to file a lawsuit:
- Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
- Broken bones and lacerations.
If you were hurt due to the carelessness of a bus driver or the firm he or she works for, you are entitled to compensation in order to recover from your undeserved injuries and stress. Texas Personal Injury Lawyers understands what it takes to hold the appropriate parties accountable.
What Makes A School Bus Accident Difficult To Handle
Texas adopted the Tort Claims Act to its Civil Practice and Remedies Code in 1969. People had no legal way to seek compensation from the government before this legislation came into force. And, like other school districts, public schools fall under this heading.
However, the Tort Claims Act reversed this, allowing plaintiffs to sue school districts for negligence and bus-related accident injuries as well as damage to property. This is a positive development, but there are still some issues. One of them is that there are limits on the maximum compensation a school bus accident victim can receive from each “unit of local government,” i.e. school districts, as defined by state law. According to the legislation, the maximum bus accident claim is limited to:
- $100,000 per person
- $300,000 per accident.
If five children are hurt in a bus accident, they may receive up to $300,000 in total compensation (or up to $60,000 each child injured).
The second disadvantage is that the people must notify their school district of their intention to bring an accident injury claim. Each city has its own deadline for submitting this notification. You will not be permitted to pursue legal action and seek compensation if you miss the deadline by even one day in any city.
Common Types of School Bus Accidents
A bus accident lawyer can confirm that a school bus collision might occur for a variety of causes. These are some examples:
- A negligent bus driver who drives recklessly and hits another vehicle
- The bus crashes into an obstacle or overturns
- A schoolchild is hit by another vehicle while getting on or off the bus
It’s critical to establish the precise circumstances of the accident, since you may be dealing with a variety of liable parties: an individual, a private firm, or a local government unit.
Who Is Liable for School Bus Accidents?
Depending on the circumstances, determining who is to blame for your injuries and property damage may be challenging. The responsible party might be:
1. The School Bus Driver
Bus drivers for school buses should be carefully selected and trained. However, because of a lack of personnel, bus firms do not always follow through with their obligations. This is why some school bus drivers who transport kids to and from home are at risk of:
- distracted driving
- driving under influence
- aggressive driving.
Given Texas’s comparative negligence statute, if the driver is more than 51% responsible for the accident, he or she will be held liable to pay damages to all victims – passengers on the school bus, other drivers, cyclists or pedestrians.
2. The School Bus Company
Many schools use a private bus service to transport their pupils. In this scenario, the bus driver is not considered a government employee, and the aforementioned provisions do not apply. In the same manner in which they can sue any other job, parents of accident victims or others harmed by a school bus driver or company may pursue compensation for their son or daughter’s injuries.
3. The School District
The school district is the ultimate employer of a school bus driver. If you choose to sue them, it’s up to you whether the driver works for a private firm. However, if the school district is the driver’s actual employer, you have no choice but to pursue damages in a personal injury case.
A thorough investigation of the accident by a knowledgeable school bus accident lawyer is required to establish that the school district is accountable for your injuries or the injuries of your child. Some of the causes that make school districts liable for a vehicle collision immediately are:
- hiring unqualified drivers
- failing to provide ongoing maintenance to keep the school bus in good working condition
- failing to implement school bus safety regulations.