A bus fully loaded with passengers is taller, longer, and heavier almost every other vehicle on the road. Since many buses do not have seatbelts or other safety features to protect passengers from the force of a collision, wrecks involving these vehicles often have severe consequences.
Even when you know who is to blame for causing a crash, holding them financially accountable for their actions can be difficult without help from a seasoned personal injury attorney. By working with a Media bus accident lawyer, you can improve your chances of achieving a favorable case result and obtaining the compensation you deserve for your damages.
As “common carriers” carrying passengers for money, bus companies and their drivers have an expanded “duty of care” compared to people driving cars. They have a greater expectation under state law to act responsibly and prevent accidental injuries because they are professional drivers. Bus drivers and operating entities can be held for various forms of negligence that may result in a traffic collision, including:
All these actions could qualify as “breaches” of the duty of care owed by bus drivers and companies to their riders and people around them. The list of potential breaches is long, so it is always worth discussing filing options with a Media bus accident attorney before pursuing a claim.
All types of bus accident lawsuits are subject to a two-year filing deadline, meaning anyone who wants to demand compensation for injuries they sustained has two years after the date of their injury to start the litigation process. However, lawsuits naming public bus services or other government bodies as defendants have additional conditions.
Before filing suit or demanding a settlement, an injured person intending to sue over a public bus crash must notify the intended defendant(s) in writing no later than six months after they first got hurt. As a bus accident lawyer in Media could further explain, the two-year deadline mentioned above still applies, so someone who waits six months to submit written notice of their claim would generally have a year and a half maximum to file suit after that point.
Bus crashes can be traumatic for everyone involved, and sometimes, they can be physically debilitating as well. Fortunately, you may be able to demand restitution for emotional, physical, and financial damages stemming from the collision when you can prove it happened due to another person’s negligence.
Help from a Media bus accident lawyer can improve your ability to enforce your rights and pursue maximum compensation. Call today to schedule a consultation.