Columbia Bus Accident Lawyer
Bus collisions often end in serious injury for passengers, other motorists, and pedestrians. Bus operators and busing companies have a duty of care to their passengers and other road users, and when this duty is violated, resulting in injury, victims can take action if they so choose. Whether you were the passenger of a bus, pedestrian, driver, cyclist, or other road user, you have the right to file a personal injury claim against any responsible parties, including the busing company. Marc Brown has assisted countless clients in receiving considerable financial compensation resulting from bus accidents over the years, and can do the same for you.
Damages in a Bus Accident
Bus accident victims, whether they were bus passengers, vehicle occupants, pedestrians, or cyclists, may be able to collect compensation for the following types of damages:
- Medical expenses
- Future medical costs
- Lost income and earning ability
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of joy of life
- Emotional distress
- Property damage
Causes of Bus Accidents and Other Injury Incidents
Bus drivers, while usually highly experienced and cautious, make mistakes like other drivers. However, their errors often lead to extremely catastrophic collisions due to the sheer size of passenger buses. Examples of negligent driving that can lead to a bus crash include:
- Speeding and tailgating, resulting in a rear-end collision when the vehicle in front slows suddenly.
- Failure to check side view mirrors when exiting a shared bus/bike lane and therefore cutting off a cyclist.
- Distracted driving, resulting in a deviation from the lane the bus driver was occupying and side-swiping a car in the other lane.
- Making too wide of a turn in an intersection due to operator inexperience, resulting in a collision with a stopped vehicle.
- Hitting a pedestrian crossing the street, due to impatient/aggressive driving.
- Failure to yield right of way to a passenger vehicle already occupying an adjacent lane, resulting in a side-swipe collision.
Bus Passenger Injury Scenarios We Handle
Not all victims of bus accidents are other road users; many injuries occur inside the bus to the passengers. These incidents can be caused by numerous factors including:
- Bus driver starts too suddenly, causing a passenger to trip and fall as they attempt to find their seat.
- Bus driver makes an overly fast turn or other maneuver, causing a standing passenger to fall.
- Improper maintenance or cleaning resulting in a slip, trip, and fall.
- Bus driver stopped suddenly or otherwise caused a collision that resulted in an injury to the bus passengers. Whiplash and facial injuries are particularly prevalent among bus passenger victims due to a lack of seatbelts and airbags.
Call a Columbia Bus Accident Lawyer
As with all types of traffic accidents, it can be difficult proving negligence when it comes to a crash, particularly if a passenger is injured due to a fall. The bus company or municipality may claim that the passenger had a responsibility to sit or hold on firmly to a hand support, and that their failure to do so was the result of the fall, not the bus driver’s erratic driving. Proving fault and the seriousness of your damages in other scenarios can be just as difficult, which is why we encourage you to call Columbia bus accident attorney Marc Brown today at (803) 848-0008 to schedule a free consultation.
