District Heights, MD Bus Accident Lawyer

When reeling from the aftermath of a bus crash, victims can rely on our lawyers for help pursuing compensatory damages against liable parties.

Injuries sustained in bus accidents vary, ranging from lacerations to fatal injuries. Since buses often lack seat belts or airbags for passengers, there is a greater risk of injury. The drivers operating the vehicles buses hit could also sustain life-altering injuries in an accident and should seek immediate medical attention to document those harms. As you get treatment, our attorneys can record losses by organizing bills from hospitals and providers. We can also factor lost wages into our damages calculations based on information from your employer and recent pay stubs. As we do this, you can focus on documenting pain and suffering by talking to a trusted mental health professional or keeping a journal detailing emotional distress.

Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 to set up a free case analysis with our bus accident lawyers.

Injuries Bus Accident Victims Sustain in District Heights, MD

Cuts and abrasions from broken glass are common in bus crashes, as are bruises and fractures from falling over when standing inside a bus or colliding with other passengers during impact. Not all buses have airbags, seat belts, or other safety mechanisms for passengers, increasing their chances of sustaining various injuries, like head or facial injuries.

Bus passengers are at a high risk of injury during accidents, as are the drivers of cars buses hit. Buses are much larger and more powerful than passenger cars, resulting in more serious impacts even when accidents happen at relatively slow speeds. If a bus hits a passenger car, it might propel the car in another direction, making it hit other vehicles or fixed objects on the road, like signs or medians. The force of the impact could make cars roll over, increasing the chances that drivers and passengers sustain severe and potentially fatal injuries.

No matter how minor some injuries might seem, all bus accident injuries require immediate medical attention. Even a single emergency room visit can be costly, and you will likely need to return for further treatment or evaluation, leading to further expenses. Do not hesitate to seek medical care, and make sure you follow your treatment plan closely after the accident. Deviating from doctors’ advice at any point could hurt your compensation claim.

How to Keep Track of Your Damages from a District Heights, MD Bus Accident

By recording losses as you incur them, obtaining wage documentation from your employer confirming your income, and considering all out-of-pocket expenses from the accident, our lawyers can keep track of your damages and calculate your deserved recovery.

Organize Bills as You Incur Them

Keeping track of damages is a tall task, as victims might incur various costs from an accident. Our bus accident lawyers can categorize your damages appropriately and focus on organizing medical bills as you incur them since these may be the bulk of your damages. If victims do not keep hospital bills organized, they might lose track of their damages to date, skewing calculations for their total losses. Our attorneys can collect all invoices and charges you receive throughout your treatment so that we have a running tally of compensable medical damages.

Get Wage Documentation

When victims cannot return to work immediately after a bus accident, they could miss out on vital wages. To prove your lost income, we will need information from your employer confirming your wage and workplace responsibilities. We can then show how, based on your diagnosed injuries, you could not resume your previous duties immediately, if ever. We can support compensation requests for lost wages with evidence of your recent income, like tax returns and pay stubs.

Consider All Out-of-Pocket Expenses

We can help victims identify all compensable economic damages from an accident, including out-of-pocket expenses they might not have considered. For example, if you cannot drive yourself to the hospital for upcoming doctor’s visits and need transportation, any associated costs should be covered. The same is true for modifications you need to make to your home to accommodate permanent injuries or if you need in-house medical assistance.

We will also factor future damages into our compensation requests. This means that if you expect to need additional treatments after your claim ends, we will estimate the cost of that care so that you do not have to cover it yourself.

Document Your Pain and Suffering

Documenting pain and suffering from a bus accident is crucial, and victims can do this by journaling about their daily struggles or speaking to mental health professionals about their anxiety, depression, or other issues they are dealing with. Mental health experts can testify to clarify the psychological effects victims’ injuries would have on their quality of life, strengthening their requests for non-economic damages.

If a claim is against a government entity, such as a public transportation service like TheBus, which operates in Prince George’s County, including District Heights, total compensation is capped at $400,000. For cases involving private charter bus companies, there are no caps for economic damages, and the usual $935,000 cap on non-economic damages applies.

Even for accidents involving public transportation buses, the crash might be due to another party’s negligence. For example, another car driver might cause an accident involving a bus and other vehicles, or a defective part within the bus could cause an incident, potentially making the manufacturer liable. In these situations, the normal cap on non-economic damages would also apply. To get the maximum non-economic damages available in your case, you must prove your pain and suffering, which is why our lawyers may advise you to confide in a therapist or keep a daily log.

Call Our District Heights, MD Lawyers for Help with Your Case

Call Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 for free case evaluation from our bus accident lawyers.