Bus Accident Lawyer
Driving in a big city is getting more and more difficult. Parking is an even bigger nightmare, both in actually finding a spot to park and paying a premium for the privilege to park. Many people have switched to public transportation, in this case, buses, to take over for the daily stress of driving their own vehicles to work and finding a place to park. Taking a bus to and from work offers many benefits to the riders. These may include:
- Getting in a morning and afternoon nap
- Catching up on the news
- Reading and writing an email
- Enjoying a best-selling novel
- Getting a headstart on a work project
- Talking to other commuters
- Looking at social media articles
Most passengers do not think much about safety when riding on a bus and make assumptions about the driver and the bus that they will safely reach their destination day after day.
Bus Accidents Do Happen
Realistically, however, bus accidents do happen. Many common causes of these accidents include:
- Driver fatigue — the driver may have logged more consecutive hours than legally allowed
- Inadequately trained bus drivers
- Driver under the influence of alcohol, excessive prescription drugs, or illegal drugs
- Driver driving while distracted — talking to passengers, looking at a phone or otherwise distracted
- There was no background check done by the bus company prior to hiring the driver to verify character and experience
- Mechanical malfunction — Failure of steering, brakes, or failure of any other mechanical system that occurs as a result of improper maintenance
Can You File A Lawsuit Against A Bus Company?
Suing a bus company can be complicated especially if it is a municipal or state-owned company. There is a different set of rules and regulations when filing a lawsuit against a municipality. There may be stricter statutes of limitation that can vary from state to state. If you are injured in a bus accident and plan on filing a lawsuit against a municipality, it is imperative that you enlist the assistance of a personal injury attorney with experience in bus accidents and government agencies. You could lose your right to file a claim if documents are submitted to the wrong agency or if the time for filing has expired.
Negligence and Damages
Most personal injury lawsuits require the plaintiff provide evidence that the defendant was negligent and that the negligence caused the accident and therefore your injuries. In order to prove negligence, the plaintiff has to show that:
- The driver or bus company had a duty to act with reasonable care
- The driver or bus company breached that duty
- As a result of that breach, the plaintiff suffered an injury
There is a limit to the amount of money in damages that you can collect when filing a lawsuit against a municipal or state agency, usually, $200,000 and this will vary by state. If your claims exceed that amount, you may have to file a claim against additional parties that you feel were at fault as well.
It is very complicated and time-consuming to file a bus accident claim. It is important to hire a bus accident lawyer with experience in bus accidents to help you maneuver through the system.
Source: bus accident lawyer District Heights, MD, Cohen Lawyers.