Bus Accident Lawyer
Buses are an everyday part of many people in society, whether they are commuters getting to work, students getting to school, or tourists sightseeing. Whatever your reasons for riding a bus, it is often a much more economical way to travel compared to other options, such as taxis or planes.
However, all of these buses on the roads means bus accidents. According to national statistics, there are approximately 63,000 bus crashes each year, which means there are also thousands of bus accident injuries. If you have been injured in a bus accident, contact a law firm today to find out how they can help.
Bus Accident Injuries
A bus accident can result in minor to major injuries depending on the seriousness of the crash, just like other types of vehicle accidents. Victims can suffer from whiplash and other soft tissue injuries to fractured bones to traumatic brain injury.
There are additional risks that are much higher in bus accidents than other types of vehicle accidents. One issue is that there is an additional risk of the bus rolling or tipping over than there is compared to passenger vehicles. Another additional risk is that buses do not always have the same standard safety devices that passenger vehicles have, such as seat belts and air bags. Although a risk of being involved in a crash is lower for buses than for passenger vehicles, the risk of being seriously injured is higher in bus crashes.
Filing a Bus Accident Claim
When a person is injured in a car accident, the process for filing a claim in pretty straightforward because there is usually one at-fault party who is responsible for the crash, although settling the claim is not always so easy. But when it comes to filing a bus accident claim, the process can be complicated. Determining who is the responsible party can be difficult and often requires the help of a skilled bus accident attorney because of the different scenarios that can be involved.
For example, if the person who caused the accident was a driver of another vehicle and not the bus driver, then a victim would need to file a third-party claim with the responsible driver’s insurance company for the losses they suffer, such as medical expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
If the bus driver was responsible for the accident, the process can become very complicated because many buses are owned by municipalities. School buses and public buses are owned by school districts and cities and this makes filing claims different than when you file a claim with a private party’s insurance company.
Not only do states have different rules about filing claims, but even cities and towns within a state have their own required processes in place to file claims for bus accident injuries. Many jurisdictions require anyone who is planning on filing a claim for injuries to first file a notice of claim. There is also often a very small window of time the victim has to file these documents. A bus accident lawyer can determine what will be required when it comes to filing a bus accident injury claim.