Buses are one of the safest modes of transportation in the United States. In a grand scheme of annual auto accidents, bus accidents only account for a small percentage of the total. While bus accidents are rare, it does not mean that buses are immune to accidents. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), nearly 900,000 buses traveled across the country in 2015. In that time, 295 people died from bus crashes, and 24,000 were injured in similar accidents.
If you were injured in a bus accident, either as a passenger on board or a third party, you might have grounds for compensation for the injuries you suffered. While compensation for a bus injury may seem straightforward, the reality is far from it. Filing a claim for a bus accident has many challenges, mostly because there are so many variables that could be at play.
Morelli Law Firm understands the unique legal issues that arise in accidents involving buses. We know how to pursue the compensation you deserve, and we are here to protect you from being intimidated by large insurance companies. Contact Morelli Law Firm today at (212) 751-9800 to speak to a team member. A New Rochelle bus accident lawyer can help you in filing your claim.
Types of Bus Accidents
To file a bus accident compensation claim, you must not have been on the bus at the time of the accident. The law does not restrict compensation only to passengers. Rather, other scenarios could warrant compensation. Consider the following examples:
Getting On or Off the Bus
As soon as you board a bus, the driver owes you a duty of care to drive safely. If you slip when you are getting on or off the bus, the driver or the bus company may be liable for that fall. For instance, the driver may be held responsible if they hurriedly sped off when you were getting on or getting off the bus. In another situation, the driver might be held liable if they had parked in an unsafe location, making it dangerous for you to enter or exit.
New Rochelle Bus Accident Lawyer Near Me 877-751-9800
Getting Injured While on the Bus
Not all accidents involve collisions. For instance, take a situation where a driver was dozing off behind the wheel and woke up just in time to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision. While the bus did not collide with another vehicle, the impact of the emergency brakes may have thrown you off your seat, causing you to collide with other objects on the bus. In an incident like this, the driver can be held accountable for any injuries that you suffered.
A Single-Vehicle Accident
Buses are bulky with a high center of gravity. This makes them far more likely to topple over. When a driver negotiates a turn, the bus may tip over, causing injuries to the passengers.
A Bus Hits You While You’re Waiting at the Bus Stop
When a driver fails to exercise reasonable care while approaching a bus stop and hits you as a result, you may have legal recourse against the driver for their negligence.
A Collision with the Vehicle You Were In
When a bus collides with the car that you are driving and it was not your fault, you may have sufficient grounds for compensation for any injury that you may sustain in that accident.
Bus Accident Lawsuits and Liability
Negligence
Negligence is often the cause of many bus accidents. Negligence is simply the failure to behave reasonably in a certain situation, thus causing injury to another. For obvious reasons, bus drivers are held to a higher standard of care than other drivers. This means that the burden of proof may not be as high in a bus accident case as in other accidents. To prevail in a negligence claim, you will need to prove that the other party behaved irresponsibly. Our lawyers will help you collect evidence and use it to prove to the insurance company or the jury (in the case of a trial) that you were not at fault, and so you require compensation.
Product Liability Claim
If a defective part caused the bus accident, you may file a product liability claim against the manufacturer. For you to prevail in such a claim, you must show that:
- The bus was defective at the time of the accident
- The defective part was unreasonably dangerous
- The driver was operating the vehicle as intended
- The performance of the vehicle had not changed since it was purchased
Our lawyers will work with experts to establish whether the bus had a defect and if indeed the defect caused the accident.
Wrongful Death
If you lost a loved one in a bus accident, you may recover compensation through a wrongful death claim. We understand that no amount of money can bring back your loved one. However, financial compensation can help cater to financial difficulties that you may suffer following your loved one’s death.
In an instance where there was a blatant disregard for human life or the negligent party acted maliciously or willfully in a way that caused the death of your loved one, you may be entitled to punitive damages as a way of punishing the offender.
Accidents involving buses have a limited filing period. According to the New York statute of limitations, Civil Practice Law & Rules (CVP) §214, you must file the claim within three years from the accident date. Missing the deadline means that you forfeit the right to pursue a lawsuit.
If We Do Not Win Your Case, You Owe Us Nothing
At Morelli Law Firm, we understand it is costly to pay for legal fees in a bus injury claim. After all, you have got enough to deal with without the added expenses. To make it possible for you to get justice for your injuries, our lawyers work on a contingency-fee-basis, which means that we will represent you in your bus accident claim without requiring you to pay any upfront fees. You will only pay us when we win your case and receive your compensation.
A New Rochelle Bus Accident Lawyer Can Help
If you were injured in a bus accident, you do not have to bear the burden alone. Our legal team is committed to making sure that we hold the responsible parties accountable for the consequences of their actions. Contact Morelli Law Firm at (212) 751-9800 to schedule a free case evaluation. A New Rochelle bus accident lawyer can handle all aspects of your case while you focus on healing.