Bus Accident Attorneys Serving Texas & Nationwide
Local, regional, and interstate transportation is significantly influenced by buses. Buses are typically a dependable method of transportation for trips to and from work, school, and other destinations within the city.
But when buses crash, the damage is frequently severe. Bus accident litigation is frequently difficult due to the large number of powerful parties that may be engaged, in addition to the high frequency of significant injuries that are frequently involved.
Different Bus Accident Claim Types
At Patrick Daniel Law, we represent both bus passengers who sustain severe accident injuries as well as drivers and their passengers who have been hurt in crashes with buses. Our group handles disputes concerning various bus and motor coach models, such as:
- The school bus
- public or city buses
- Area-based carriers
- buses, both private and charter
- Transit vans
- Shuttles
Bus accidents frequently result in catastrophic injuries because of the size and weight of the buses. This holds for other drivers as well as the bus’s passengers, who are typically not confined while traveling.
The severe injuries you or a loved one received in the bus accident will be aggressively pursued by our attorneys. We can also develop a wrongful death claim on your behalf if a member of your family was tragically deceased.
How to Respond to a Bus Crash
The actions you take right after could have a big impact on the rest of your life if you were critically hurt in a bus accident. Your health must come first, and you must take care to safeguard your legal rights. In light of this, you ought to:
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Receive medical care for your injuries from a bus accident
If you were hurt in a bus accident, you should consult a doctor right once. Get yourself checked out by a doctor as soon as you can, even if you don’t need to be taken to the emergency department.
Different kinds of injuries can be brought on by the trauma of a bus collision. Promptly seeking therapy can reduce your risk of developing long-term problems.
Receiving medical care can also assist you in preserving your legal rights. The longer you delay, the more challenging it will be to demonstrate that the accident caused your injuries. Insurance firms will use every legal strategy at their disposal to avoid liabilities. This includes contesting the fact that the accident caused your injuries.
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Adhere to the medical advice of your doctor
Once a treatment plan has been given to you, you must strictly adhere to your doctor’s instructions. Only if you have concerns about your doctor’s diagnosis or suggested course of treatment should you seek a second opinion.
The bus operator and/or the insurance provider won’t think twice about using the fact that you disregarded your doctors advise to harm or postpone your recuperation against you. Ensure that you show up for all of your scheduled visits with medical professionals, specialists, physical therapists, etc.
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Keep your bus pass or ticket
Make sure to store any bus tickets or passes you used on the day of the accident in a secure location. This will support the claim that you were present on the bus when the incident occurred.
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Save all of the pictures you took with your phone
If you were able to take photos right after the accident, you should show them to a lawyer as soon as you can. Key details regarding what happened and who was at fault may be revealed in photographs.
Who Is Responsible for a Bus Accident?
You should preserve any photos you may have taken on the bus before the collision, such as a selfie with a friend, on your phone as well. These images might also provide crucial details, such as where you were seated on the bus and the interior’s state at the time of the accident.
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Jot down as many specifics as you can
You should also write down as many details as you can recall, in addition to saving your bus ticket or pass, as well as any images you took with your phone. For instance, you ought to attempt to record the responses to important inquiries like:
- What kind of bus did you ride—a Greyhound, a Houston METRO bus, etc.?
- Which path did you take?
- Where along the path did the mishap occur?
- Did the bus driver make any comments just before or right after the collision?
- What do you think happened in the accident, in your opinion?
These are only a few examples of the kinds of information that might be relevant to establishing your legal rights. Write down any details you can recall that you believe may be relevant to your claim so that you can discuss them with your attorney.
Early in the morning, a bus passes through an intersection on city road 6. Stay away from posting on social media
It is often a good idea to refrain from publishing on social media and other places after an accident. Insurance companies will keep an eye out for postings and images on your social media accounts that they can use to dispute your claim.
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Avoid Illusion
The bus company and/or its insurance provider may attempt to get in touch with you in the days or weeks following the bus accident. Don’t be deceived; these parties are not acting in your best interests.
Before you’ve had an opportunity to speak with a bus accident attorney, wait to sign anything or accept a settlement. To avoid worrying about making a mistake, you should let an attorney handle all of the speakings.
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Keep a record of your financial losses
The expenses will mount quickly if you are hurt in a bus accident. To the best of your abilities, you should keep track of these costs since doing so will enable your attorney to estimate the cost of the damages you are claiming.
Keep all of your bills, receipts, account statements, and employment papers organized so that you can:
- Medical costs
- Cost of prescriptions
- Cost of medical supplies
- Transport expenses
- loss of perks and income
- even more
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Keep a record of any noneconomic damages
The aforementioned items are regarded as economic damages. Additionally, you might be entitled to damages for the non-monetary effects of your injuries (known as non-economic damages).
Quantifying non-economic harms is more challenging. However, you can chronicle your pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and more with written notes, images, and films.
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Speak with a bus accident attorney in Houston
Hiring a qualified attorney as soon as possible following a bus accident is the best approach to safeguard your legal rights. Free case evaluations are available at Patrick Daniel Law, and there are no fees or costs unless we prevail.
Consult a bus accident lawyer right away
Bus Accident Factors
Driver error is to blame for the majority of bus accidents. But it’s possible that the mistake was made by the bus driver, another driver, or a mix of the two.
An accident could happen as a result of the bus driver’s negligence in the following situations:
- driving after supper
- driving when impaired by drink or drugs
- Speeding
- executing broad turns
- Not examining one’s blind spots before changing lanes
- To close a following of other vehicles
- driving while distracted
- Due to actions like these, the driver of another vehicle may also bear some or all of the blame for the bus disaster.
- too much speed
- pursuing the bus
- hurriedly attempting to get past the couch
- failing to pay attention to a warning or brake lights
- distracted or intoxicated driving
Liability in bus accident lawsuits is frequently complicated, as it is in many claims involving crashes involving commercial vehicles. There may be more than simply the drivers who are at fault.
Liability of the bus company in accident claims
Bus ownership and operating companies may be held responsible for accidents if their carelessness contributed to the collision. This might comprise:
careless employment methods, including hiring unfit drivers or failing to look into past infractions
Insufficient driver education The failure to put in place and enforce regulations to address drug usage, distracted driving, etc.
breaches of the hours of service (federal regulations limit the number of hours bus drivers can drive, but employers may coerce their drivers into breaking the law)
failure to perform maintenance and repairs on the bus
The bus may be owned and operated by a private business, a school, or a government agency. It is crucial to speak with an expert attorney as soon as possible to go over your legal alternatives because the party involved and the location of the accident may have an impact on your claim.
A city bus traveling down a street in the evening
Vehicle Issues in Claims of Bus Accidents
Buses are massive, heavy vehicles. Their safe operation is dependent on several parts working in unison. When part of the vehicle malfunctions, a bus accident may happen.
A part or component on the bus may fail due to negligence or inappropriate maintenance, or it could be the consequence of a defect. Defective parts that may cause a bus accident include:
- Defects in the frame of the bus Defective brake systems
- Defective gasoline tanks and fuel systems
- Defective tires
- Electrical system failures
- Unstable or shattered seats
- Defective lights and stop arms (on school buses) (on school buses)
- Defective pivoting and articulating joints
If the bus accident was caused by a defective part or component, our lawyers will pursue compensation on your behalf from the firm that designed or manufactured the problematic item.
Injuries in Bus Accidents
Whether you are a passenger on the bus or a driver or passenger in another car, anyone involved in a bus collision is at significant risk of incurring serious injuries. Those in other vehicles that are hit by the bus may sustain:
- harm to the brain from trauma
- spinal cord damage
- Loss of limbs
- Broken bones
- Burns
The impact of an accident may knock passengers out of their seats, potentially leading to head and facial injuries as well as shattered bones in the arms, legs, and chest. If the accident leads the bus to tip or roll over, passengers may be propelled from one side of the vehicle’s interior to the other, potentially resulting in crush injuries and even impalement. Horrifically, if the bus catches fire as a result of the collision, people may be trapped inside, perhaps suffering serious burn burns or worse.
Bus Accident in Houston Compensation in a Bus Accident Claim
Because numerous passengers may suffer significant injuries in a bus accident (not to mention the injury to those in other cars), multiple claims may result from a single disaster. These claims often include millions of dollars in damages.
If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury in a bus accident, the attorneys at Patrick Daniel Law will painstakingly research the losses you have experienced and aggressively pursue every dollar you are owed for your injuries.
Damages we may be able to recover for your injuries in a bus accident claim include:
- Medical costs
- Lost wages
- Loss of future earning potential, if the accident puts you unable to work
- Distress and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Discoloration and scarring
- emotional distress
- loss of group support
If your loved one is killed in a bus accident, our lawyers will pursue compensation on your behalf through a wrongful death claim for damages such as:
- Funeral and burial or cremation costs
- Loss of income
- Medical expenses before your relative’s death Loss of care, maintenance, support, and services
- loss of group support
- Depending on the facts of the bus accident, punitive damages may also be attainable in your injury or wrongful death suit. This compensation is provided at the discretion of the judge or jury as a means of disciplining a defendant who acts in excessive negligence or misbehavior.
Houston School Bus Accident Lawyers
How Patrick Daniel Law Can Help with Your Bus Accident Claim
Legally, buses are designated “common carriers.” Like truck accidents and other claims involving vehicles that are utilized for commercial purposes, this implies that buses are subject to federal laws. Therefore, federal agencies such as the National Transportation Safety Board and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will certainly be engaged in the investigation of any crashes.
In disputes where complicated regulations, investigations, and responsibilities are involved, it is vital to have qualified, competent legal counsel on your side. Patrick Daniel Law has vast experience in challenging car accident matters. Our attorneys are smart, methodical, and brutal in holding huge organizations and other institutions accountable when their negligence hurts innocent individuals.
In constructing your claim, our team will cooperate with prominent experts in accident reconstruction, engineering, transportation, and other fields to discover how the accident occurred. From this comprehensive research, we will build an efficient legal strategy that takes into account all of the harm you and your family have endured.
Through settlement discussions and, if necessary, litigation, we will mercilessly pursue proper compensation for your losses. Our proven outcomes reflect our commitment to battling to get our clients the most when they need it the most.
We acknowledge the value of compassion in servicing our clients. As part of our commitment to child safety, we are proud to provide high-quality legal assistance for families whose lives are turned upside down by the serious injury or death of a child in school bus incidents.
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