Buses are fairly common in cities. They transport students, commuters, or even people going on long-term trips. Bus accidents happen every day. It can be extremely terrifying. When you ride a bus, you trust that the driver will operate it safely. This isn’t always the case, or sometimes things happen that are out of the bus driver’s control. Buses were involved in around 63,000 traffic accidents every year. That is a lot of people who may be injured. When you’re involved in a bus accident, it’s important to know what you need to do at the moment. Some things you need to do are time sensitive. It’s also important to know how liability may be accessed during this situation.
What to do
When you’re involved in a bus accident you may be extremely overwhelmed and not know what to do. The first thing you must do is seek immediate medical attention. As mentioned previously, this is something that is extremely time sensitive and some states may even deny your claim if you did not do this in a timely manner. You should seek medical attention even if you feel you have no injuries or no severe injuries. Many times symptoms take hours or days to show up and if you try to make a claim later, you may get in trouble for fraud. You should report the accident to law enforcement. This way a police report is written with all the details of the accident. It is a crucial piece of evidence you may use in your claim. The bus company will typically cover your medical expenses even if you choose not to sue them. Make sure you get as much information from the scene as you can. Get names, phone numbers, and addresses of the other passengers on board when the accident occurred as well as any others that were
involved in the accident. Again, this will help make a stronger case because of the evidence from eyewitnesses. Most people have a camera phone nowadays. It’s important that you take pictures and/or videos of the scene from different angles to help with your claim. These procedures are pretty standard for any type of accident you may be involved in.
Common Cases/Liability
After a bus accident, an investigation must be made. There are several factors that may have contributed to the accident that would find the bus driver and/or company at fault. The first being that the driver was not properly trained or properly screened for employment. The second being the bus was overloaded or not properly loaded to begin with. If the driver was fatigued or under the influence, then they may be found at fault. One last case that may be used for liability is if the bus or equipment on the bus was not properly maintained.
Getting into an accident on the bus can be scary. There are many people involved and you may have sustained injuries. Bus accidents tend to have more victims and more serious injuries. It’s a scary situation to be in. You need Los Angeles bus accident attorney who is experienced in this field and will fight for you to get the proper compensation. JML Law, A Professional Law Corporation is here to help you fight for your rights and compensation. Call them today for a free consultation at 818-610-8800 or simply use this contact form.
