Charleston, SC Bus Accident Lawyer

Buses go through Charleston every day, usually without incident. However, bus accidents do happen from time to time, and when they do happen, people can get badly injured. Victims of bus accidents will often have to deal with hefty medical expenses and will spend a lot of time recovering from serious injuries. That is bad enough, but the experience can be worse if the victim suspects that the accident happened because someone else was negligent.

If you were injured in a bus accident and want justice, call us. Our lawyers have the professionalism, drive, and experience to effectively represent you in court. We will gather evidence, prepare your claim, and handle other legal matters so that you can focus on recovering and getting back to living your life.

Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (803) 219-4906 and get a free analysis of your claim from our bus accident attorneys.

Injuries from Bus Accidents in Charleston, SC

Buses are large, heavy vehicles, so the chances of getting injured are higher if you get hit by a bus than, say, an ordinary sedan. Additionally, buses tend to have multiple passengers inside, so there is a very real chance that multiple people are going to get injured in a bus crash. Some of the injuries you may receive in a bus crash include:

Bruises

Bruises happen when blood vessels get crushed underneath the skin. This is what causes the characteristic black, blue, and purple discoloration of the skin. Most of the time, bruising is nothing to worry about. However, deep bruising over a large area that will not go away can be indicative of something more serious, like internal bleeding, and needs to be treated.

Broken Bones

Broken bones are common injuries in bus accidents. If you break a limb, you will likely need a cast, sling, or other immobilization device to have the limb properly healed. For more serious breaks, like a compound fracture where the bone punctures the skin, surgery may also be required to set the fracture back into place.

Additionally, after the fracture has healed – especially for limbs – you may need to undergo specialized strength training or diet changes to get the limb back to where it was before it broke.

Cuts and Puncture Wounds

Cutting and puncturing wounds are probably not the first things people think of when they think of bus accidents. However, bits of metal from the bus, broken glass, and other debris can cut into or go through victims of bus accidents – and they do.

Cuts can lead to nasty scarring and permanent disfigurement and can even remove digits like fingers and toes if they are cut forcefully enough. Puncture wounds are actually much more dangerous because they are harder to stop from bleeding and can easily hit vital organs, putting a victim in critical condition.

Traumatic Brain Injury

A traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is caused by a hard blow to the head that punctures the skull or otherwise damages the brain. Even “mild” TBIs are serious injuries that are not to be taken lightly. They can result in memory loss, sensitivity to light and sound, mood swings, migraines, and more. More severe TBIs can lead to significantly diminished cognitive function, loss of motor skills like walking or full use of your arms and hands, paralysis, or even death.

Amputation

It may be scary to think about, but people can lose limbs in bus accidents. This can be from an amputation done in a medical setting in order to prevent infection or save the greater portion of a limb, or it could be because of “traumatic amputation,” where the limb is removed in the accident. The latter is extremely dangerous and can easily result in death if not immediately treated.

Damages from Charleston, SC Bus Accidents

The damages you ask for in your claim will largely be based on your unique circumstances. The goal of damages is to get the plaintiff back to where they were before they were injured, so the compensation you get is unique to you. Items you can request damages for after a bus accident in Charleston include:

Medical Expenses

Your medical bills will almost certainly be part of the damages you request. Surgery, medications, and long-term care are not cheap, even with the help of insurance policies. Accordingly, you can get the defendants in your case to compensate you for those expenses.

Lost Wages

“Lost wages” refers to any missed income due to your injuries. For example, if you had to take a lengthy hiatus from work to recover from your injuries, you can get damages based on the income you would have earned had you still been working during that time. Similarly, if you have to take a less lucrative job because your injuries prevent you from doing your prior job, you can get damages based on that difference in income. Finally, if your injuries are such that you are no longer able to work at all, you can get damages based on your projected future income for the rest of your career.

Property Damage

In some cases, you may be able to get compensation based on damage to property. For example, if a bus hit your car and totaled it, you can get damages based on the cost of repairing that vehicle.

Pain and Suffering

Thus far, we have discussed damages that can be proven through a bill, receipt, or other paper trial. However, some injuries, like emotional distress, pain, or mental anguish, will not show up in an invoice. You can still get damages for these things, but you will have to demonstrate their worth to the court through evidence, testimony, and legal arguments.

Punitive Damages

There is another category of damages called punitive damages that are not meant to make you whole but to punish defendants for acting especially badly. Courts do not always award punitive damages, so you should speak with our lawyers about whether seeking them makes sense in your claim.

Our Charleston, SC Bus Accident Attorneys Can Help You Today

Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s bus accident attorneys are just a phone call away and can be reached at (803) 219-4906.