Public transportation is supposed to be a safe and economical way to travel, also easing congestion of our roads and helping to keep traffic running smoothly. Busy commuters, school children, and people who cannot drive for any reason often use public transportation to get them where they need to go in an easy and timely manner. Millions of people take buses every year to tourist destinations, school related activities, religious events, athletic events, camps, and many other locations.
The large number of people using these public transportation systems, including the school bus system of our county, means that accidents involving buses often include multiple injuries. The lack of seatbelts on these vehicles increase the risks for injury should a bus be struck or otherwise become involved in an accident.
Accidents involving buses are actually much less common than accidents involving regular cars and autos, however these larger accidents can be much more devastating for those involved. As the numbers of people using the public transportation system rises each year, the number of injuries and deaths resulting from bus accidents rises with them.
There are many potential causes of bus accidents, just as there are many causes of any kind of driving accident. A bus could become involved in a crash because of driver negligence just as easily as it could be struck by a drunk driver or another negligent driver. Bus accidents can be the result of inadequate security on the buses or weather conditions as well as dangerous roads and conditions, defective parts, or poor maintenance.
If you have been involved in a bus accident, investigations will be conducted by many parties to determine the cause of the accident, from local police or highway patrollers to insurance companies to the bus company itself. If you have been injured or are the parent or loved one of someone who has been injured in a bus accident, you may be able to file a suit against the bus company to recover some of your losses from the crash.
Public transportation and bus accidents are not entirely common, but when they happen, the often result in tragic personal injury or even in death for many of the passengers involved. You do not even have to be on the bus to be the victim of a bus accident. Pedestrians and drivers or passengers in other vehicles are also vulnerable to the destruction and injury often caused by bus accidents, and a small car is no match for the mass of a bus when it comes to a collision.
All passengers of buses involved in accidents are owed the "utmost duty of care" by the bus company, whether it is a public or private company. This duty of care to the passengers is higher even than the negligence duty owed to the drivers of other vehicles and pedestrians by the bus company. Passengers on buses are assumed to be safe once they enter the bus doors until the time that they leave them. If your safety has been compromised on a bus during a bus accident, then you have the right to compensation from the bus company.
If you have been the victim of a bus accident of any kind, you should seek the counsel and aid of a bus accident injury lawyer. This person will be able to help you to file your damages against the public or private bus company within the complex time limitations and the various laws that are different for each circumstance.
When you are the victim of this kind of accident, there is no time to delay in seeking the aid of a professional bus accident injury lawyer to help you navigate the legal system and find the laws and limitations that apply to your unique situation. When it comes to this kind of law, experience counts for a lot. A good, experienced lawyer will waste no time trying to educate themselves when they could be working for you toward your goal of filing a successful injury lawsuit against the bus company.
Many people are hurt or even killed each year because of various circumstances surrounding public transportation. You should not let your own injuries pass unremarked, but should seek out the counsel of a bus accident injury attorney and find out today how to be compensated for your injuries and personal damage as a result of the bus accident. You should not be allowed to suffer in silence just because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
