If you’re injured as a passenger on a bus, you have a right to seek payment for your harm from the party that caused the accident. Bus crash cases are complicated, but a bus accident lawyer can investigate the wreck to protect your rights.
Their legal guidance helps you understand your options and work toward a fair outcome after an injury as a bus passenger.
Who Is Responsible for a Bus Accident?
An accident has many potential causes, and several parties may share the blame. Your lawyer’s investigation identifies every person or company that contributed to your injury.
The responsible party might be a person, a company, or a government group:
- The Bus Driver: The driver’s actions (or inaction) directly cause many crashes. A driver is liable if they speed, get distracted, or drive under the influence.
- The Bus Company: The company is responsible for hiring, training, and maintenance. They may be at fault if they put a poorly trained driver behind the wheel or failed to fix a known mechanical issue.
- Another Driver: A different motorist’s recklessness may have caused the collision. Your bus passenger injury claim targets anyone whose bad choices led to the wreck.
- A Government Body: A city or county might be liable for poor road conditions or a public transit bus failure. Claims against the government have unique rules and very short deadlines.
A bus accident has layers of liability. For example, the driver’s mistake may connect back to the company’s poor safety culture, making both responsible for your injuries. A thorough look at the facts shows who owes you for your losses.
A bus passenger on an intercity line like Greyhound faces different company rules than a passenger on a city or county bus. A private charter bus has its own set of standards and insurance policies.
Each detail matters when you’re hurt in a bus wreck and need to seek accountability. Your legal team figures out these details for you.
Common Carriers and a Higher Duty of Care
Bus companies are common carriers, which means they transport people or goods for a fee. The law holds common carriers to a very high standard of safety and owes them the highest duty of care, which means they must be extra careful in protecting the people they transport.
This higher duty, as it relates to your claim, means the company is often responsible for even small mistakes that lead to a passenger getting hurt. Their duty extends beyond just driving safely. It also includes maintaining their vehicles and making sure their property is safe for passengers.
A bus company’s failures may include:
- Hiring drivers with bad driving records
- Failing to do regular drug tests on employees
- Not fixing broken seats or handrails
- Allowing a bus to operate with worn-out tires or brakes
If you were injured as a passenger on a bus, the company’s higher duty of care is a central point of your case. Their failure to be extremely cautious gives you a strong foundation for your claim. They must actively look for and fix any potential dangers to their passengers.
Your attorney uses this legal standard to build a strong argument for why the company is responsible for your losses after an accident. This makes it easier to show that they acted negligently and owe you compensation for your injuries from the bus crash.
Evidence That Supports Your Bus Injury Claim
Strong evidence is necessary to prove your bus passenger injury claim; you need to show who caused the accident and how the accident caused your injuries. A lawyer gathers all available evidence to create a clear picture of what happened.
Several types of evidence are used in these cases:
- Official Reports: This includes the police report filed at the scene of the bus accident. This document often contains initial findings about how the wreck occurred.
- Photos and Videos: Visual proof from the scene and from surveillance cameras on the bus helps tell the story. Video footage often shows a driver’s mistakes.
- Witness Accounts: Statements from other passengers or bystanders provide outside perspectives. These people saw what happened and can add credibility to your story.
- Company Records: A lawyer obtains bus maintenance logs and the driver’s history. These papers may show a pattern of poor safety practices or that the driver was unfit to operate the bus.
Your medical records are also a major piece of evidence because they link the bus crash directly to the harm you suffered. The records detail your injuries, the treatments you received, and your doctor’s opinion on your recovery.
Gathering all this information is a huge task. Law firms have the resources to conduct a deep investigation. They send official requests for documents and may even hire accident reconstruction experts to analyze the crash.
Every piece of proof strengthens your position and pushes the insurance company to offer a fair settlement. A strong case is built on a foundation of solid evidence.
Types of Compensation in a Bus Accident Case
If you get hurt in a bus crash, you can seek payment for a wide range of losses. This payment is called damages. The goal is to repay you for the financial, physical, and emotional harm you have gone through.
Economic damages are your direct financial losses. They have a clear dollar amount attached to them. They are meant to put you back in the financial position you were in before the bus passenger injury. Non-economic damages account for the human toll that the wreck has taken on your life.
You may seek compensation for:
- Medical Costs: This covers every expense from the ambulance ride to future physical therapy. It includes doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, and any medical devices you need.
- Lost Income: You may receive payment for the work time you missed because of your injuries. This includes salaries, wages, and any bonuses you weren’t able to earn.
- Future Earnings: If your injuries prevent you from returning to your old job or working at all, you receive payment for that lost capacity.
- Pain and Suffering: This compensation is for the physical discomfort and emotional distress from the bus crash injury. While this harm has no direct bill, it is a real and significant part of your experience.
Calculating the full value of your bus accident claim requires a careful look at all these areas. An attorney adds up all your economic losses and places a value on your non-economic harm. They use their experience to demand a full and fair amount that covers everything you’ve lost.
Dealing With Insurance Companies
After you’re injured on a bus, you’ll likely deal with an insurance company. The bus company’s insurer isn’t on your side. Its job is to protect its company’s profits by paying out as little as possible. Insurance adjusters often look for ways to deny or reduce the value of claims.
Common Insurance Pitfalls
Adjusters may contact you soon after the accident. They often seem friendly and concerned. They may ask you to give a recorded statement about what happened. Do not give one. They are trained to ask questions that might get you to say something that hurts your bus passenger injury case.
They might also make a quick settlement offer. This offer may seem like a lot of money at first, but initial offers are almost always far less than what victims’ claims are actually worth.
They want you to accept it before you know the full extent of your injuries and financial losses. Once you accept a settlement, you cannot ask for more payment later.
Having a lawyer changes the dynamic. All communication from the insurance company goes through your attorney’s office. Your lawyer handles the calls, emails, and paperwork. This lets you focus on your recovery instead of on stressful talks.
How a Lawyer Helps With Your Bus Passenger Injury Claim
Pursuing a bus accident claim involves many steps, but a personal injury attorney can handle every part of the legal process for you. This frees you to concentrate on your health while they build a strong case for compensation.
Investigating the Accident
A lawyer and their team start a private investigation into your bus crash right away. They visit the scene, take photos, and talk to witnesses who saw what happened. They gather all the proof needed to show that you were injured as a passenger on a bus due to someone else’s mistake.
Identifying All Liable Parties
An accident isn’t always one person’s fault. Your lawyer finds every person or company that shares responsibility. This could be the driver, the bus company, the bus manufacturer, or even a government agency.
A claim against all responsible parties increases your chances of a fair recovery.
Calculating Your Full Damages
Figuring out the total value of your claim is complex, so your legal team works with you to document every medical bill and lost wages. They may consult experts to calculate future losses and to put a value on your pain and suffering.
Handling All Communications
You won’t have to speak with insurance adjusters or defense attorneys. Your lawyer takes over all of these conversations. They handle the phone calls, respond to letters, and file all necessary legal paperwork on your behalf. This protects you from saying something that might damage your claim.
Negotiating a Fair Settlement
Most personal injury cases end in a settlement, not a trial. Lawyers are skilled negotiators who know how to argue your case with the insurance company. They present the evidence and demand a payment covering all your bus accident-related damages.
Taking Your Case to Court
If the insurance company refuses a fair offer, your bus accident lawyer can file a lawsuit. They’ll represent you in court and present your case to a judge and jury. In fact, a lawyer’s willingness to go to trial often motivates the other side to offer a better settlement.
FAQ for Being Injured as a Passenger on a Bus
What if the Bus Accident Worsened an Existing Injury?
You can still seek payment even if the crash aggravated a pre-existing condition. The person or company at fault is responsible for the harm they cause, including worsening an old injury. An attorney works with your doctors to clearly show how the bus wreck made your condition worse.
How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit in Georgia?
In Georgia, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, South Carolina allows victims three years to file. These time limits are called the statute of limitations.
If you miss this deadline, you’ll likely lose your right to sue and seek compensation forever. Some exceptions exist, so contact a bus crash lawyer immediately to protect your case.
Should I Give a Recorded Statement to the Insurance Company?
Don’t give a recorded statement to the other party’s insurance company without first talking to a lawyer. Insurance adjusters are trained to ask questions that can hurt your case. They may try to get you to downplay your injuries or suggest you are partially to blame.
A recording may be used against you later to reduce your claim. Let your lawyer handle all talks with the insurance company for you.
What if a Government-Owned Bus Injured Me?
If a city or county bus injured you, your claim is against a government entity, and special rules and much shorter deadlines apply. You must file a formal notice of your claim, very quickly—often within six or twelve months.
Failing to provide this notice on time bars you from ever filing a lawsuit for your injury from the bus crash.
What Compensation Can I Receive if I Were Injured as a Bus Passenger?
You may seek payment for all the harm you suffered, including your past and future medical bills. Your compensation may cover any wages you lost from being unable to work, physical pain, emotional distress, and any permanent effects of the injury on your life.
Your Road to Recovery Starts Here
An accident can feel like it steals your control, but you have the power to take it back. Working with an experienced bus injury lawyer helps hold the responsible parties accountable and get the necessary resources to move forward.
If you were injured in a bus accident, help is a phone call away. Jamie Casino Injury Attorneys fights for the rights of bus passengers. Call us today at (912) 355-1500 to talk about your case in a free consultation.