bus accident lawyer

In geographically dense, metropolitan areas like Southern California’s Los Angeles or Murrieta, public transportation is a helpful alternative to owning and/or driving a car. Public transportation, including buses and light rail transit systems, provides a convenient alternative to driving when and where it makes sense. Unfortunately, negligent public transit drivers, inadequate driver training, shoddy maintenance, and overworked bus drivers are sometimes the cause of unfortunate accidents involving public transportation buses that cause injury and even death to bus riders, pedestrians, auto and bicycle operators and others.

Moreover, buses often lack the safety features that modern-day motor vehicles take for granted, such as seat belts, bus crashes or bus collisions resulting in more serious injuries to their passengers.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that in 2012, bus accidents resulted in:

• Two hundred fifty (250) fatalities due to bus accidents (page 33 1)
• Twelve thousand (12,000) injured victims (page 34)
• Forty-two thousand (42,000) instances of property damage (page 35)

There are several causes of Bus accident cases. Accidents occur because of driver negligence, driver fatigue, inadequate driver training, defective equipment, and shoddy or improper maintenance of buses.

In some busy and noisy urban settings in some of Southern California’s busier cities, a bus driver maneuvering the city streets may not even be aware that their bus has collided with a pedestrian, a bike rider or even an automobile.

For bus riders, injuries can be sustained when buses make sudden movements, lane changes or turn that cause passengers to be thrown to the floor or hit up against poles. Riders can become human projectiles.

Injuries can range from bumps, bruises, and skin lacerations to more serious injuries such as broken bones and concussions. Concussions can be especially dangerous for more “fragile” elderly riders and young children.

When municipalities and private bus companies fail to maintain the buses they put on our roads, mechanical failures can lead to accidents and collisions that result in injuries and deaths. Old brake shoes/pads that are not replaced at timely intervals can contribute to a bus driver rear-ending a vehicle for example. Worn tires can also cause dangerous blowouts leading to crashes and collisions.

Bus driver negligence has also resulted in crashes and collisions when drivers attempt to talk on their cell phones, text, eat while driving, and other distracting activities. Under California law, buses are considered “common carriers”, and owe a duty to use the highest care and the vigilance of a very cautious person in protecting the safety of their passengers. California Civil Code Section 2100 states that “A carrier of persons for reward must use the utmost care and diligence for their safe carriage, must provide everything necessary for that purpose, and must exercise to that end a reasonable degree of skill.” A common carrier does not ensure the safety of its passengers, but it must use reasonable skills to provide everything necessary for safe transportation.

Shocking footage has emerged of a bus driver appearing to smoke cannabis while driving a bus before he crashes into a home.

If you have been involved in a bus accident or you were a passenger on a bus and you were injured during severe movements or in an actual bus crash or bus collision, it is important to collect and document as much information as possible about the bus, the driver, and the circumstances of the incident.

Many buses have video cameras (like the video above) that record the interior of a bus, but those recordings sometimes miss critical information and are not always available when an injured victim needs them. We can expedite that through legal channels and our in-house private investigator can fill in a lot of missing details to bolster your case possibly the monetary value of your bus accident claim.

Southern California personal injury attorneys at Khashan Law Firm assist pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers and passengers of other vehicles, and passengers of buses, and light rail in obtaining just financial compensation for injuries caused because of all types of public transportation negligence and injury cases that arise from:

Thousands of people in the United States are injured or killed every year in bus accidents. Due to their sheer size, bus accidents often result in
serious / catastrophic injuries and even death. Lives can be turned upside down in an instant, and you may feel lost and confused and not know where to turn next. Do not worry, the Southern California Personal Injury Lawyers at Khashan Law are here for you!

If you or one of your loved ones has been injured in a bus accident, call 951.461.2387 to set up a free initial consultation with an experienced bus accident lawyer California. Khashan Law provides a free initial consultation, and bus accident victims are represented on a contingency fee basis. If we do not obtain a settlement or money judgment for you, we don’t receive a fee.

Unexpected and unfortunate things happen to good people. Our caring legal professionals are here to help you recover the financial payment you deserve so you can get on with your life. Remember, all legal fees are based on a percentage of the award, and you pay nothing for our services until we win your case. We have three conveniently-located offices in Southern California.

As per the statute of limitations in California, the filing limit for a bus accident claim is 2 years. The time limit for a bus accident case will expire two years from the date of the crash. In case the bus is run by the city, state, or county, the victim or the victim’s family needs to submit an additional claim with the appropriate government organization within 6 months of the accident.

To determine the liable party in a bus accident case, a thorough analysis of the cause of the bus accident and the parties involved needs to be done. Our team of experienced bus accident attorneys at Khashan Law will make a list of all the possible at-fault parties. One or more parties may be held liable for a bus crash:

• The government – For accidents involving government or state-run intercity buses, the government can be held liable for the bus accident.
• Bus company – If the accident occurred on a privately operated bus, the private bus company could be liable for the bus crash.
• School – In case of a school bus involved in an accident the liable party will be determined based on whether the school is a public school or private school. In the case of a public school bus accident, the liability has to be borne by the government, however, in the case of a private school bus, the school management or board will be held liable.
• Third-party driver – In case a third-party driver is responsible for the bus collision or crash, then his or her insurance company would be held liable to pay for the damages.
• Manufacturer – If the accident occurred due to a defective bus part or malfunctioning vehicle, then the manufacturer of the specific part or Bus will be considered the liable party.

Injured victims of a bus accident are entitled to receive compensation for the damages and losses they suffered. Legally, damages mean all the expenses and losses, both past and future, suffered due to the accident.

Some of the common types of damages that can be recovered in a bus accident claim are:

Economic damages:

• Cost of medical treatment
• Medical expenses both past and future
• Loss of wages
• Loss of future earning capacity
• Property damage

Non-economic damages:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium (for victims’ families)
• Emotional distress
• Wrongful death
• Other non-economic losses suffered because of the bus accident

In some cases, punitive damages are also awarded if it is proved that the actions of the defendant were harmful or outrageous.

If you are an accident victim who has
been injured in a vehicle accident, in
a slip and fall accident at some business or facility, or injured by the negligent and wrongful
conduct of others, and need answers to your questions or to find out what your case is worth, please
call us today at (951) 461-2387 for a free, confidential consultation. Or if you prefer, fill out
our Contact Form. A lawyer or staffer from Southern
California Personal Injury Lawyers
will call as soon as possible you to schedule an appointment.