Bus passengers can suffer severe injuries when bus drivers and others commit negligent acts. A driver might violate one or more traffic laws or drive their bus while distracted, causing passengers to suffer serious injuries. Bus accidents can sometimes result from negligent repair work and other defects.
If you or someone you love recently sustained injuries as a passenger in a bus accident, talk with legal counsel about your available legal options. Your bus accident attorney in Tampa can determine if you have a viable third-party cause of action against a bus driver, bus company, or other individual/entity. Your lawyer can then file the appropriate claim to recover the monetary compensation you deserve.
If you can move forward, your lawyer can aggressively negotiate with insurance company representatives on your behalf and represent you at all legal proceedings in your case. Every step of the way, your attorney will answer your legal questions and maximize the monetary damages you recover in your case.
Types of Buses that May Become Involved in an Accident
Like any other vehicle, a bus with numerous passengers can injure you in a severe accident.
Some of the most common types of buses that are in local accidents include:
- City and municipal buses
- Buses that transport the elderly to and from various locations
- School buses
- Tour buses
- Airport transport buses
- Charter buses
If you suffered injuries in a bus accident resulting from someone else’s negligence, a bus accident attorney in your area can determine your eligibility for filing a third-party claim or lawsuit and take the legal action necessary against the responsible bus driver or bus company’s insurer.
Your attorney can also gather the required documents and file a claim seeking monetary compensation and damages for your accident-related losses.
Types of Bus Driver Negligence
Many bus accidents happen when bus drivers commit negligent actions and inactions. A negligent bus driver deviates from the standard of reasonable care and drives a bus unreasonably under the circumstances. Bus driver negligence can include committing traffic law violations.
For example, a bus driver might speed, fail to use their turn signal when executing a turn or switching lanes on a multi-lane highway, or fail to yield the right-of-way to another vehicle at a busy traffic intersection, causing an accident that leads passengers to suffer serious injuries.
A bus driver might attempt to pass other vehicles in a no-passing zone or commit other negligent roadway maneuvers. If a bus driver tailgates another vehicle and traffic backs up quickly, the bus may negligently strike the car in front, causing passengers to suffer injuries.
Bus accidents can also happen when people drive distracted or carelessly. For example, the bus driver might be using a cell phone on the job or paying attention to passengers instead of watching the road in front of them attentively.
When a driver turns their attention away from the road, for one reason or another, they might fail to see an approaching vehicle, especially if traffic conditions are busy. Under these circumstances, the bus driver may negligently cause a severe accident.
Bus accidents can also happen when drivers fail to use technological devices on their buses, along with their side view mirrors, while driving. When drivers fail to use the appropriate safety devices and features on their buses, they significantly increase their chances of causing an accident.
Finally, devastating bus accidents can happen when drivers are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. An intoxicated bus driver may experience blurred vision, preventing them from seeing other nearby vehicles. They may also experience delayed reflexes and reaction time due to drug or alcohol intoxication. As a result, the driver may not drive safely or stop their bus in time to avoid a severe accident.
If you suffered injuries as a passenger in a bus accident, you should immediately seek the legal help you need. Waiting too long to seek legal representation following a bus accident may prevent you from recovering the monetary damages you need for your accident-related losses. The statute of limitations establishes a deadline for filing a lawsuit in a personal injury case.
Your bus accident attorney can investigate your bus accident and file a third-party claim against all potentially responsible parties. Your lawyer can also deal with insurance company representatives on your behalf and work to secure you the favorable settlement compensation you deserve.
Potential Negligence of Bus Owners
In some cases, bus owners, in addition to bus drivers, may fully or partially cause a bus accident. Bus companies, cities, and school districts that own buses have a duty to only hire and retain capable and experienced drivers.
When one of these owners hires or retains a bus driver who lacks experience or who has a known record of moving violations, they may be liable for any accident that later occurs. Bus companies, charter companies, and other bus owners also have a duty to properly supervise their drivers and ensure that they comply with all licensing and continuing education requirements.
A school bus accident attorney can review the circumstances of your accident and ascertain all potentially responsible individuals and entities. Your lawyer can then file a third-party claim or lawsuit naming all those individuals or entities as defendants.
Other Potentially Responsible Parties for a Bus Accident
In addition to bus drivers, bus companies, and other individuals/entities, third-party drivers may also contribute to a bus accident. In other words, the bus driver may not have done anything wrong in your case. Instead, the bus accident may have occurred simply because of another driver’s carelessness.
Under those circumstances, your lawyer can ascertain the identity of the at-fault driver and file the appropriate claim or lawsuit. Your attorney can then maximize the monetary damages you recover in your case, either through a favorable settlement offer or litigation result.
Potential Injuries in Bus Accidents
Buses are enormous vehicles, and in an accident scenario, bus passengers usually suffer the most severe injuries. This is due, in part, because many buses do not have seatbelts for the benefit of passengers.
Therefore, in a severe bus accident, passengers’ bodies may move around violently inside the bus and strike something, including the seat back in front of them, the headrest, or the window, resulting in serious injuries.
Some of the most common injuries that bus passengers may suffer in an accident include:
- Open lacerations and bruises
- Soft tissue neck and back injuries, including whiplash
- Shoulder injuries
- Rib fractures
- Bone fractures
- Traumatic head and brain injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Internal bleeding
- Spinal cord damage
- Full or partial paralysis injuries
As soon as possible after a bus accident, you should seek help from a qualified medical provider. Follow through with all recommended medical treatments, including consultations with your primary care doctor or a qualified medical specialist, such as a neurologist or orthopedist. Following an accident, you may also need to undergo a medical procedure, such as surgery, or attend physical therapy sessions for an extended amount of time, to recover your range of motion in an injured body part.
Following through with this medical treatment shows the insurance company that you should recover appropriate compensation for your severe injuries. It also increases your chances of fully recovering from your injuries.
A school bus accident attorney can begin handling the legal aspects of your case. At the same time, you concentrate on attending medical appointments and getting the treatment you need for a full recovery.
Filing a Successful Legal Claim for Monetary Damages in Your Case
When filing a third-party personal injury claim with an at-fault person or entity’s insurance company, hire an experienced bus accident attorney. Insurance companies will not do you any favors when it comes to offering you fair and favorable monetary compensation for your injuries.
In fact, insurance companies have absolutely no incentive to provide you with fair and full damages for your accident-related losses. Instead, insurance companies and their representatives will do everything possible to undermine the severity of your injuries and pay you as little monetary damages as possible to settle your claim.
On the other hand, an experienced bus accident attorney can aggressively negotiate with adjusters in your case and work to secure a favorable monetary award on your behalf.
Your lawyer can highlight the strengths of your medical records and help you secure the total amount of monetary damages you deserve to recover in your third-party injury case. Moreover, if the insurance company still does not offer you the monetary damages you need to become whole again, your lawyer can threaten them with litigation in the court system.
If your attorney must file a lawsuit in court, they can assist you with every step of the litigation process. Specifically, your lawyer can answer written interrogatories for you, prepare you for your discovery deposition, and represent you at all legal proceedings, including a civil jury trial, mediation session, or binding arbitration proceeding. During any of these proceedings, your lawyer can introduce evidence on your behalf and work to secure a fair and favorable result for you.
Recovering the Monetary Compensation You Deserve for Your Injuries
Many bus passengers suffer severe injuries in accidents that result from others’ negligence. In those situations, accident victims may incur high medical bills and lost earnings.
Fortunately, bus accident victims who can establish the legal elements of their third-party claim can recover various types of monetary damages. The total damages that a bus accident victim can recover will usually depend upon many factors, including the specific accident circumstances, the injuries they suffered, the medical treatment they received, and the cost of that medical treatment.
Furthermore, accident victims can recover their anticipated medical expenses if a healthcare provider determines that the accident victim suffered a permanent injury.
Accident victims can also recover compensation for lost earnings if they had to miss time from work after their bus accident. They can also secure a monetary recovery for loss of earning capacity if their injuries prevent them from working in the same occupation following their accident.
Bus accident victims can also receive monetary damages for their inconvenience, mental distress, pain and suffering, loss of spousal companionship, loss of the ability to use a body part, loss of life enjoyment, permanent disfigurement, and lifetime care costs.
Your attorney can help you develop realistic expectations for your third-party personal injury case and let you know its approximate value. Your lawyer can then set about helping you recover the monetary damages you need through settlement or litigation.
Talk With an Experienced Bus Accident Attorney Today
If you recently suffered injuries as a passenger in a bus accident, you should take the necessary legal steps right away to secure your right to monetary compensation. Once a lawyer enters an appearance on your behalf, they can start representing you and pursuing the total monetary award you deserve for your injuries.
Specifically, your lawyer can file the appropriate claim on your behalf, negotiate with insurance company adjusters, or pursue a favorable litigation result in your case. It is seldom a good idea to deal with insurance companies without an attorney. While your lawyer does this, you can focus on recovering from your injuries, which is of the utmost importance at the end of the day.
You can find help with the most complex and challenging bus accident claims. Seek the medical attention you need, and then never delay in speaking with a legal professional about your best options to seek compensation for bus accident injuries. Your lawyer can hold negligent parties accountable for your bus accident and injuries.
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