Bus Accidents

If you have been in a bus accident, you are likely facing a lot of questions about what to do with your claim. Depending on who was at fault, there are a couple of different ways your case can go. If you were injured while riding on a bus because another car, truck, SUV, or even bus hit you, then your claim will be against the other vehicle and their insurance company. The most common kinds of buses are:

· School bus accidents

· Greyhound bus accidents

· Sightseeing tour bus accidents

· Public city bus accidents

Be aware that if you are injured on a bus, that the chances are high that others were too. This can pose a challenge since many people who are driving normal cars do not have a lot of insurance on their cars, trucks, and SUV’s. In fact, it is rare to see more than $100,000 in insurance on a car or truck. This poses a problem if, hypothetically, ten people were injured on the bus and everyone has $10,000 in medical bills each. This will not leave a lot of money for you. However, there may be another route to take to get you money for your case. This route is in play if the driver of the bus you were riding on was in some way negligent or responsible for your injuries. This is known as the common carrier doctrine.

Common Carrier Doctrine

If you are injured by your bus driver’s negligence, then you can include the common carrier doctrine in your lawsuit against the bus company. This doctrine basically says that the driver and the driver’s company have a heightened, or greater, duty to exercise reasonable care towards you and the passengers on the bus. It basically makes it easier to sue and win your case if the driver of the bus was responsible for your injuries. This can be an important element in proving your case.

The most common reasons for bus driver accidents are the following:

· Tired or overworked drivers

· Drivers who are inexperienced

· Faulty tires

· Fault brakes

· Faulty bus

· Drivers who are not properly trained

In addition, you can also bring a claim against the bus driver’s company, or the bus company itself, whether it’s the school district, Greyhound, or the city, if they are operating the bus. The legal term for this is respondeat superior, which just means that the owner of the bus company has a duty as well and all of the blame cannot be placed on the driver. This is important because it allows you to sue the bus company. The bus driver likely does not have an insurance policy, but the bus company most likely does. This insurance policy will cover your damages.

In any event, it is a good idea to reach out to an experienced personal injury lawyer who knows how to handle these kinds of cases. There are many bus accidents every year. If you have questions or want to talk about your bus accident, please call us so we can discuss your case.