Have you been hurt in a bus accident? Speak with our bus accident lawyers today to learn how we can help you seek compensation for your injuries. You have rights, and there is no fee unless we win your case.
School buses, city buses, tour buses, inter-city buses―buses are a prominent part of modern transportation. These vehicles are larger than most that travel our streets and highways, creating unique challenges for bus drivers and the drivers of vehicles that share the road with them. When bus accidents occur, they often cause many injuries because each bus carries multiple passengers. Your damages may be significant, and you should get help from an experienced attorney.
Ask our bus accident attorneys for a free, confidential case evaluation by calling Rice Law at (410) 694-7291.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Bus Accident Lawyer?
It doesn’t cost you one penny out of your pocket to hire a bus crash lawyer. Once you hire a lawyer, they will investigate the accident and determine your rights against either the bus company or the at-fault party who caused the accident.
The term “no fee unless we win” means exactly that. You don’t have to pay for the legal services unless the lawyer wins your case.
Which Types of Bus Accidents Does Your Firm Handle?
We represent individuals injured on any bus or motor carrier, including:
- Single-decker bus
- Double-decker bus
- Articulated bus or ‘bendy-bus’
- High-capacity bi-articulated buses
- Passenger-carrying trailers
- Rigid bus
- Bus trailer or Trailer buses
- Midibuses
- Local transit system buses
- Coaches and motor-coaches
- School buses
- Transportation Authority buses
No matter the bus type, we fight for our clients to ensure their medical bills are paid, and they are compensated for their pain and suffering.
What Are Some Common Injuries in a Bus Accident?
Injuries sustained in a bus accident are typically caused by the victim striking a hard surface within the bus. It is not uncommon to see a person hurt while boarding or disembarking a bus.
Common injuries during a bus accident include:
- Neck and back injuries;
- Broken bones, sprains, and fractures;
- Head injuries
- Burns
- Spinal Injuries
Damages Available in a Bus Accident Lawsuit in Baltimore
Your damages represent your legal claims for financial compensation. Damages largely depend on the nature and severity of your injuries and how they affect your life. Bus accidents are often severe, and significant damages may be on the line.
Medical Bills
A major factor in your damages will likely be your medical bills. Injuries from bus crashes are often quite serious, and victims may require extensive treatment. Medical treatment is known for being expensive even for minor injuries, and your medical bills after a bus accident may be quite substantial.
Damaged Property
Many victims lose valuable property in a bus accident. If you were driving your own vehicle when a bus hit you, you may claim costs related to repairs or a replacement car. Even if you were not driving your own car, you may claim damages related to lost or destroyed personal items.
Lost Earnings
You likely need some time off from work to recover from your injuries after a bus accident. Unfortunately, this likely means that you will lose income as you recover. Those with a longer road to recovery may be out of work for a long time and lose significant income when they need it most.
We can calculate how much income you have lost since the accident, the income you will likely continue to lose in the future, and add it to your damages.
Pain and Suffering
Not all damages represent economic costs. Bus accidents can inflict serious physical and psychological pain, suffering, and distress on victims. You may experience excruciating pain from your injuries while also dealing with psychological trauma from the crash. Such experiences deserve fair compensation.
Statistics on Buses and Bus Accidents
In 2014, Maryland had over 7,000 private and commercial buses registered; another 4,000 were publicly owned. Most publicly owned buses belonged to states, counties, and local governments. Many thousands of these buses were school buses.
In addition, countless interstate passenger buses and out-of-state charter buses pass through Maryland. Many of these buses are inevitably involved in accidents. In the U.S. as a whole, there are over 20,000 people injured and killed in bus accidents each year.
Federal data indicates that, from 2004 to 2014, the types of buses most involved in crashes with at least one fatality were school buses (41 percent), transit buses (33 percent), and intercity buses (13 percent).
Understanding Who or What Caused the Accident?
For all intents and purposes, whoever causes the accident is legally responsible for the resulting injuries. However, not every bus accident is the fault of the bus company or driver.
Other motorists may collide with the bus, the roadway may be defective, freight may fall off a delivery truck causing the bus to crash, the bus may have defective mechanics, and so on. The bus itself may have been defectively manufactured and/or designed, which would make the manufacturer liable.
If a driver or the bus’s condition is at fault, the organization responsible for hiring and maintenance may be liable. In the case of a tour bus, for example, the bus company might be liable for a driver with a bad safety record, but the group that put the tour together could be responsible for selecting a company with a known poor safety record.
Who Owns or Controls the Bus?
Ownership of a bus isn’t always immediately clear. A company can lease and operate buses it doesn’t own. Drivers and buses can be hired on a contract basis, with the contracts varying wildly from one case to another.
The person or business that owns a bus involved in an accident may be held legally responsible, depending on the circumstances. As such, we must determine who owns the bus as soon as possible.
What the Bus is Used For?
Federally regulated buses must comply with extensive federal regulations. For example, federal rules prescribe minimum requirements for drivers of “interstate motorcoaches,” such as:
- Ability to speak and read English well enough to converse with the general public, keep comprehensible records, and understand traffic signs and symbols
- Age 21 or older
- Sufficient experience and/or training to safely operate the vehicle
- A valid certificate from a medical examiner
- One (and only one) valid commercial driver’s license (CDL) that contains a passenger endorsement
School buses transporting children are subject to many regulations on how they must operate, and traffic laws impose special caution on motorists who encounter school buses on the highway. Federal rules also impose stringent requirements on school bus construction.
How to Begin a Lawsuit Against a Governmental Entity for a Bus Accident
Before you can sue a governmental entity, such as a public transit agency that operates a bus, we must follow specific legal procedures that apply only to government claims.
Before filing your lawsuit, we must file a formal notice of your claim against the public transit agency. This requires filing your notice with the Maryland State Treasurer no later than 1 year after the accident. This is much sooner than the standard 3-year limitation period for personal injury lawsuits.
If the Treasurer denies your claim, we may proceed with filing your lawsuit. Remember, we must still file your lawsuit within 3 years of the accident, and this 3-year period includes the 1-year period for filing your formal notice.
Evidence You May Gather for a Bus Accident Lawsuit
Personal injury plaintiffs have the burden of proving their claims by a “preponderance of the evidence.” In short, this means we must have enough evidence to prove that the defendant is more likely than not responsible for the accident. Exactly what evidence we need will depend on your specific circumstances.
Witness Testimony
Bus accidents are often large-scale collisions, and numerous drivers and passengers may be involved. Other drivers, bus passengers, and people nearby when the accident happened may be able to provide eyewitness testimony that supports your claims.
It is a good idea to get names and contact information from as many people as possible immediately following a bus accident. This makes it much easier to find them later and ask them to provide testimony.
Photos of the Accident Scene
Take as many pictures as you can immediately after the bus accident. If it is safe to do so, walk around the scene while waiting for help and take pictures. Once the authorities arrive, they may begin removing damaged vehicles and clearing away debris. Unfortunately, this means evidence may be lost. Your photos may be the only thing that preserves the accident scene.
Video Footage
We should try to find any video footage of the accident. This may come from nearby homes or businesses with private security cameras that recorded the accident. People may have recorded the accident on their cell phones. Other drivers may have dashcams that recorded the crash. Wherever these videos come from, we must obtain them before they are inadvertently erased.
Medical Records
Your injuries may be severe and complex, making them difficult to explain to a jury. We can use your medical records to prove how badly you were hurt and what it cost to treat your injuries. We may also have your doctor or other medical experts testify about your injuries in court.
How to Get Evidence from the Bus Company or Transit Agency
Some evidence might be out of our hands, but there are ways to obtain it. If the defendant controls valuable evidence that supports your claims, we may obtain it during discovery.
Business Records
When suing a private bus company or a public transit agency, we may need access to certain business records. For example, employment records about the bus driver who caused the crash may shed light on their driving history and whether the bus company or transit agency knew they were unfit for the job.
We may also access records about bus maintenance and safety inspections. If the bus was not safe to operate or had not been inspected for a long time, the bus company or transit agency may be liable for the accident.
Security Camera Footage
As mentioned above, security cameras may have recorded the bus accident. While cameras may be around the accident scene, they may also be on the bus. Many buses are equipped with security cameras. Most public transit buses have cameras inside and outside the bus. In the event of an accident, these videos must be preserved immediately, and we can demand access to them during the discovery phase.
Seek Legal Help from Baltimore Bus Accident Lawyers
Ask our bus accident attorneys for a free, confidential case evaluation by calling Rice Law at (410) 694-7291.