Bus Accident Attorneys

Bus Accident Lawyers Help Clients Focus on Their Recovery

Our team of bus accident attorneys can help you get the money settlement you deserve in a lawsuit against Greyhound, Megabus or another bus company. We will focus on your legal case so that you can focus on recovering.

The days and weeks after an accident can be full of stress. Often when we meet with our clients for the first time, they share with us their determination to make the fullest recovery possible, anxiety about their future financial security, and a desire to get answers and to hold someone accountable. We make it a priority to get for our clients the answers and financial compensation they deserve because we want our clients to have peace of mind and the time and resources necessary to make as full a recovery as possible.

Who We Can Hold Responsible for Death or Injuries after a Bus Crash

When we are contacted after a bus crash, we immediately begin investigating the crash and work to preserve all of the crash scene evidence. This allows us to be able to hold as many different people and companies responsible for you or your loved ones injuries. Who can be held responsible for your bus crash will be specific to your case.

Our attorneys have handled many cases where our clients have been wrongly blamed for causing accidents. By investigating the accident scene, poring over company documents, and interviewing witnesses, our lawyers have gotten justice for these clients by clearing their names and getting them the compensation they deserved.

Bus Driver

Bus drivers are not only required by law to operate their vehicles safely, but they are also responsible for ensuring that their vehicle is in such a condition that it can be safely operated. If a driver’s negligence in fulfilling their duties can be proven after an accident, they can often be held responsible for that accident.

Bus Company

When a bus company is hired to safely transport children or other passengers, and those passengers don’t arrive safely at their destination, that bus company is usually at least partially responsible for the injuries or death of any passengers that might have been aboard the bus.

• Learn about accidents involving tour and charter buses
• Learn about accidents involving shuttle buses

School District

There are a number of different options school districts have for transporting their students to and from schools. Some school districts operate their own fleet of buses, others contract out the transportation to a private company, and others lease vehicles from a private company and employ their own drivers. How a school district chooses to operate doesn’t change this simple fact: School districts are responsible for their students’ safety from the moment they reach their designated bus stop in the morning till the moment they leave it in the afternoon. There is no responsibility more serious than our children’s safety, and when a school district neglects this, they need to be held accountable.

• Read more about school bus accidents

Transit Authority

There is no doubt that there are challenges associated with driving a bus through city streets or in rush hour traffic. That doesn’t change the fact that governmental entities responsible for providing public transportation are also responsible for injuries occurring in or caused by their vehicles. Just like private bus companies, public transit authorities are responsible for the condition of their vehicles and for the actions of their employees.

Maintenance Yards

Bus companies are required to maintain their vehicles so that they can be operated safely and must only employ qualified drivers. If bus failure is partially responsible for a crash, the owner of the bus and/or the company responsible for the maintenance of the bus can often be held accountable.

Bus Manufacturer

When the design of a bus or faulty parts installed in it during manufacturing cause an accident, or contribute to the severity of the injuries sustained in an accident, the manufacturer of the bus can be held responsible.

• Read more about charter and school bus recalls

How much can I get if my bus accident lawsuit is settled?

Not all cases are settled, but most are, sometimes right before trial. The amount of any accident settlement is determined by a number of factors, including the following:

• Whether you were a passenger, a pedestrian or the driver of another vehicle (car, motorcycle, van, semi truck, bicycle);
• How much insurance the company has for bodily injury and wrongful death claims;
• How many parties can be sued (see above) and how much insurance each has;
• How seriously you were injured;
• Facts about you and your life, including how old you are, what employment you have, your hobbies, your family, etc.

Relentlessly Pursuing the Facts

How we build winning cases

After a bus crash, the accident scene can be a flurry of activity. Many of the men and women that respond, including police officers and firefighters, put themselves in perilous situations to save lives. There is another group of people that respond just as quickly to accidents that work to protect the profit margins of the responsible companies.

They might not always be at the scene of the accident, but risk assessors, claim processors, and corporate attorneys all work together to deflect blame, shift responsibilities, and cover up the facts of the accident. When you have these forces working against you, you need a lawyer working for you who can make sure you get the answers and compensation you deserve.

Our Bus Accident Lawyers Work to Find Answers

Sometimes, the cause of an accident isn’t immediately evident from the evidence at the scene, and it isn’t uncommon for important details to be unknown when the initial accident report is filed. This means that if you were determined to be at-fault for an accident, there might be evidence that has yet-to-be-found that shows the other driver was at fault. It could also mean that there are important contributing factors that can be discovered to increase the strength of your case. This is why it is important to contact an attorney after a bus crash.

Accident Causes and Contributing Factors

Slippery Roads

When a bus driver causes an accident while traveling on a slippery road, the road isn’t to blame for the accident: the bus driver is. Bus drivers are responsible for maintaining a safe driving speed at all times. Accidents are not caused by a slippery or icy roads, they are caused by unsafe driving.

Low Visibility

When traveling down roads with low visibility, all drivers, including bus drivers, are responsible for maintaining safe speeds and a safe traveling distance between them and the vehicle in front of them. If a bus driver doesn’t respond to these conditions, they can often be held responsible for an accident that happens.

Driving Too Fast

Just like semi trucks, buses are much heavier than the average vehicle on the road. When a bus is traveling too quickly it may not be able to slow down in time to respond to the traffic ahead or a hazard in the roadway.

Medical Emergency

If a health issue causes the driver of a bus to lose control of their vehicle and results in an accident, the bus company and the driver can often both be held responsible. Just as airlines are responsible for making sure their pilots are medically fit to fly, bus companies are responsible for making sure their drivers are medically capable of driving safely. When a driver has an untreated or uncontrolled medical condition it doesn’t just put their life at risk, it puts at risk the life of everyone in and around the buss.

Aggressive Driving

When driving, there are few things as frightening as a bus or other commercial vehicle tailing your vehicle. A bus won’t be able to react in time if for some reason you have to suddenly slow down or stop your vehicle. This can result in a life altering accident.

Falling Asleep At the Wheel

There are strict federal regulations meant to make sure that bus drivers are well rested before they drive and to make sure that they don’t drive for an unsafe length of time. If a bus driver falls asleep at the wheel, it is common that they violated federal regulations, often times after being pushed by their employer for doing so. Both the driver and their employer can be held responsible if these actions caused an accident.

An Exploding Tire

Before driving, bus drivers are required by state and federal laws to do a thorough vehicle inspection that include checking the treads, air pressure, lug nuts, rims, and general condition of the tires. A number of different things can go wrong when using a poor quality or worn-out tire including: losing traction on a slippery road, a tire losing air, or a tire rupturing and exploding.

Engine/Brake Failure

Engine or brake failure can result in an fire, explosion, or loss of vehicle control. By properly inspecting and maintaining a vehicle, engine and brake failure are often preventable. When a company chooses to not maintain or thoroughly inspect their vehicles, they are knowingly putting lives at risk.

Distracted Driving

There is never a time when distracted driving is acceptable. When a bus driver drives distracted, he or she is endangering lives.

Unsafe Passenger Loading/Unloading

Making sure that passengers of all ages can enter and exit the bus safely is one of the main responsibilities of bus companies, drivers, and school districts. When a child is injured entering or exiting a bus, it is often due to the loading/unloading point being in an unsafe location.

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