For more information, consult with a skilled attorney who has experience in bus accident cases. A bus accident lawsuit could be worth over $100,000 if the injuries are especially damaging and the bus driver was reckless and negligent. At times, bus accident lawsuits may be valued over $250,000 if the damages are particularly severe and permanent.
Full Answer
What factors determine a settlement amount in a bus accident lawsuit?
1. Severity of the Injury: The extent of injuries sustained due to the negligent or intentional conduct of others is the most important factor in evaluating an estimated potential settlement amount in a bus auto accident lawsuit.
Are You entitled to compensation for a bus accident?
If you or your loved one has suffered an injury from a bus accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Zinda Law Group at (800) 863-5312 for a free consultation with one of our bus accident lawyers. Most personal injury claims do not end in a dramatic fashion in the courtroom.
How can a bus accident attorney help me with my claim?
The experienced bus accident attorneys at Zinda Law Group may be able to help you with your personal injury claim. We know how to calculate the value of a bus accident settlement and fight for your legal rights. After an accident, you shouldn’t have to worry about affording legal representation, which is why we work on a contingency fee basis.
What are the most common injuries resulting from a bus accident?
Such injuries can be financially devastating resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills and hospitalization costs. Common injuries resulting from a bus accident include Trauma to the face resulting in facial fracture, broken nose, and lacerations 2.
Can you get compensation for a bus crash?
You can still claim compensation even when another vehicle is involved in a bus crash. But first, you will need to determine against who you are claiming. If the accident involving another vehicle was due to the bus driver's negligence, you could claim bus injury compensation against the driver or the bus company.
Can you claim for injury on a bus?
In order to make a bus crash claim, you will need to show that third-party negligence caused your injury. The bus company or public transport company will have a duty of care to all of its passengers. If you're able to prove that their negligence caused your injury, you may be able to claim by suing the bus company.
Can you sue bus driver?
Bus driver negligence that could result in compensation If the driver of the bus was directly at fault for the accident due to careless or dangerous driving such as driving too fast around corners or braking too hard, you may be able to file a claim against the bus company.
What is the biggest personal injury settlement?
Here are the Largest Personal Injury Settlements in US History$150 Billion For The Family of Robert Middleton. ... $4.9 Billion For The Anderson Family From General Motors. ... Gas Station Manager Awarded $60 Million After Suffering Brain Injuries Caused by Derailed Train. ... Ford Motor Co.More items...•
What happens when a bus hits your car?
Firstly, you need to have tangible proof of your car being impacted. Almost every single bus (all TfL buses and most non-TfL buses) now has external CCTV placed along the sides of the vehicles, so there is guaranteed to be proof of impact if you are able to catch the bus which has been involved in the impact.
Are bus drivers liable?
A bus driver owes the same duty to other road users, including passengers, as any other driver, that duty is to drive with reasonable care and skill expected of a competent driver.
How long does a personal injury claim take to settle?
A straightforward injury claim could take around six months to settle, while a more challenging case could take three years or longer to come to an end.
What is the most money won in a lawsuit?
1. Tobacco settlements for $206 billion [The Largest Ever] In 1998, Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, and two other tobacco companies agreed to a $206 billion settlement, at a minimum, covering medical costs for smoking-related illnesses.
What lawsuit pays the most?
Big Tobacco Of all of the class action lawsuits in US history, the Big Tobacco settlement by far takes the cake for the largest settlement of all time.
How do you calculate emotional pain and suffering?
These types of compensation are called pain and suffering. Generally, pain and suffering awards will be calculated by adding up the economic damages and multiplying them by a number between 1.5 and 5, depending on the severity of the injury.
How much are most car accident settlements?
The average settlement amount for a car accident is approximately $41,783.00. This figure may be high in comparison to national averages across the United States because the data includes more car accident settlements involving serious injuries.
How is settlement amount calculated?
Settlement amounts are typically calculated by considering various economic damages such as medical expenses, lost wages, and out of pocket expenses from the injury. However non-economic factors should also play a significant role. Non-economic factors might include pain and suffering and loss of quality of life.
What is the usual result of a settlement?
After a case is settled, meaning that the case did not go to trial, the attorneys receive the settlement funds, prepare a final closing statement, and give the money to their clients. Once the attorney gets the settlement check, the clients will also receive their balance check.
What happens if you get injured in a bus accident?
Many bus accident victims’ lives are forever altered by their injuries. If you’ve been injured in a bus accident, you deserve to receive a settlement that covers reasonable and necessary care and compensates you for other losses.
How to prove negligence in a bus accident?
Your lawyer will need to conduct an investigation — called “discovery” — to determine which factors may have caused your accident and collect evidence and statements to support their conclusion. A number of different factors can contribute to city bus accidents, including negligence on the part of the bus driver or other drivers on the road. Or there may be a bigger issue at play, such as inadequate employee training, business practices, or manufacturer defects. Proving these kinds of negligence may result in a longer discovery process.
Why are city buses dangerous?
The dangers associated with city buses are heightened when bus drivers or their employers fail to ensure the safety of their passengers and everyone else on the roads. If either or both parties have neglected their duty, those who have sustained injuries as a result may be able to hold them legally accountable.
What is responsiveness in bus claims?
A city bus injury claim requires a great deal of communication between the various parties involved, including drivers, city employers, other injured individuals, insurers, and their legal representatives. The responsiveness and cooperation of these entities and individuals can affect the length of your case.
What is a common carrier bus?
Proof of negligence. City buses fall under the definition of a “common carrier,” which are vehicles that offer transportation services to the public. Common carriers must meet high duty of care standards, and proof of negligence of those standards is needed to establish liability.
What are some examples of negligence?
Examples of driver negligence include speeding, talking to passengers or using a mobile device while operating the vehicle, aggressive driving, and driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Examples of company negligence include forcing the driver to work longer shifts than hours-of-service (HOS) regulations allow, failing to perform routine vehicle maintenance/inspections, failure to vet drivers in their employ, or failing to properly train drivers.
When it can be proven that a driver’s or carrier’s negligence contributed to your accident, your likelihood of?
When it can be proven that a driver’s or carrier’s negligence contributed to your accident, your likelihood of receiving compensation is drastically increased.
What happens after a bus accident?
After a bus accident, you might incur medical bills, lost income, and other financial expenses and losses, which may be compensable . If your legal team is able to prove negligence on the part of the bus driver or bus company, you might be able to collect the following compensable expenses:
How long does it take to file a personal injury claim in New Orleans?
This statute generally allows people to file a personal injury lawsuit within one year from the date of the accident.
What happens if you get hit by a bus?
An accident involving a large bus can leave you or a loved one with severe physical injuries. The sheer size and weight of a bus might cause physical damage to anyone involved in the crash, including:
What happens if you crash a bus?
An individual who crashes into a solid surface with sufficient force can break parts of his or her body. Broken bones are painful, and recovering can be irritating as they will prevent you from doing daily routines normally for weeks or months.
What happens when you hit your head?
Traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, can occur when an individual’s head strikes an object or shakes with considerable force, that is, force that causes the brain to hit inside the skull. You may have seen on the news of former football players who have suffered concussions during their professional careers and now suffer a host of debilitating physical and mental ailments. Symptoms of dizziness, difficulty concentrating, depression, and others are prevalent in those who suffer from a traumatic brain injury .
Can bus accidents lead to physical injuries?
Bus accidents can lead to a host of physical injuries. The cost of treating physical injuries will probably make a bulk of your potential settlement amount in a bus accident claim. Below is a list of the more serious injuries that can occur in a bus accident.
Can bus accidents cause burns?
Sometimes, a bus accident can lead to an explosion or fire. Such an accident can result in burns in the accident victims. Though there are different degrees of burns, the most severe burns can lead to hospital treatments that last for weeks or even months. Even after receiving initial treatment, a victim may have to return to the hospital on a regular basis to get skin grafts.
Types of Damages That Might Be Recoverable
Damages in a bus collision refer to monetary losses you have suffered because of the collision and your injuries. Compensatory damages include economic and non-economic damages. Your economic or special damages are compensation amounts for your pecuniary losses, including the following:
Modified Comparative Negligence
If you were partly responsible for your bus collision, it will affect the value of your claim. Under Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 231, § 85, Massachusetts has adopted a modified comparative negligence law. Under this rule, you cannot recover damages in a personal injury claim if your negligence was greater than the combined negligence of the defendants.
When to File a Bus Accident Claim
Massachusetts has a statute of limitations for personal injury cases found in Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 260, § 2A. Under this law, you must file your bus accident lawsuit within three years of the date of your accident and injuries.
How much is a bus accident settlement?
City bus accident settlements can range from amounts as low as $5000 or $10,000 up to the millions of dollars. How much yours will be depends entirely on the severity of your injuries, pain and suffering, and lost wages. Below are some city bus accident settlements that are online. Note that the higher settlement cases are the ones that get the most press; your settlement could be much less. Contact a bus accident attorney to get a better idea of what your settlement might be.
How long does it take to file a lawsuit for a bus accident?
A bus or train accident involves numerous deadlines to take legal action. Generally, a statute of limitations law requires you to begin a bus accident or train accident lawsuit within a certain timeframe. If you fail to do so, you may lose your ability to file a lawsuit. Many states have a two-year statute of limitations to file personal injury claims. With a government entity, however, the limit is typically much shorter. It could be a year or only a few months.
What is the difference between a bus accident and a car accident?
In the event of a collision, the force of the accident could throw passengers around the vehicle. Or, when a bus slams into a car, the much larger vehicle causes devastating injuries to the auto passengers.
What happens when a bus slams on the brakes?
Whiplash: This injury happens when the bus makes sudden contact with another vehicle or object, or slams on the brakes. Your body continues forward, and your neck moves in a snapping motion, leading to injury of the delicate ligaments and tendons in the neck. Some whiplash injuries heal over time on their own, but others may require serious medical intervention.
What happens if you get hit by a speed bus?
Spinal cord injury: In a higher speed bus accident, it is possible you could suffer an injury to one of your vertebrae or spinal discs, which could injure the spinal cord. You may suffer partial or total paralysis. These are grave injuries and you will require very expensive medical care for months, years and even for life.
How many tons of weight does a bus have?
Bus accidents often cause serious injuries that are worse than car accidents. A typical commercial bus is 20 tons in weight and does not have seatbelts. Passengers often can be thrown violently around the cabin. Or, when a bus slams into a car, the much larger vehicle causes devastating injuries to the auto passengers.
Why do bus accidents have different claims?
In a city bus accident, each injured victim will have a different claim case because of various factors pertaining to their specific injuries, where they were seated and other factors.
What did the plaintiff claim in the bus collision?
Plaintiff claimed that he did not observe the manner in which the collision occurred. The bus driver claimed that the truck moved forward into the side of the bus when one-half to two-thirds of the bus had already completed the turn.
How much money has Block O'Toole recovered?
To date, we recovered over $1 billion for clients injured in serious accidents. For a free consultation with one of our experienced attorneys, please call 212-736-5300 or fill out our Contact Form.
What did the defense contend about Plaintiff's injuries?
The defense contended that Plaintiff’s injuries stemmed from degenerative conditions that were not causally related to the accident.
Did the flatbed operator hear the bus?
The New York City Transit Authority’s accident-reconstruction expert opined co-defendant flatbed operator should have seen the approaching bus through his vehicle’s side-view mirror and that co-defendant flatbed operator also should have heard the noise of the approaching bus, given that co-defendant flatbed operator testified that the windows of the truck’s cab were open at the time of the accident.
How much is a bus accident lawsuit worth?
At times, bus accident lawsuits may be valued over $250,000 if the damages are particularly severe and permanent.
What happens if you hit a bus?
A bus that turns into your vehicle can cause you to flip over or slam into another car.
Why do bus drivers get in accidents?
Many accidents occur due to bus drivers not seeing vehicles passing them or turning in their blind spots, and sideswipe or outright crash into these other drivers. Drivers who are not well-trained place their passengers and other motorists on the road at risk of injury; inexperience is dangerous.
Why do bus accidents happen?
Bus accidents happen in many ways due to the problematic nature of the vehicle. For one, it is very large and immobile; it is hard to maneuver and requires a degree of skill to operate it safely. This is why bus drivers undergo some sort of training before being allowed to drive on the road and carry passengers.
Why do bus drivers drive with carelessness?
Bus drivers also may drive with a certain amount of carelessness due to the fact that many people will not challenge a bus . That is, a bus driver will often pull out from a stop without signaling or waiting for traffic to clear, because he knows a car will stop to avoid being trapped or getting stuck between two other cars. Bus operators also operate on a tight schedule and know that people have appointments and must go to work and other functions. In their hurry to not be late, they may run red lights or not slow down enough at intersections. This is extremely dangerous behavior, and other cars may not be able to stop in time to avoid hitting buses.
Why do buses speed through red lights?
They may speed to make it through red lights to ensure a prompt delivery of their passengers or they may stop short at transit stops to let customers off. Buses are unwieldy automobiles and not easily controlled, so drivers need to be extremely experienced and properly trained to maneuver them with a modicum of safety.
What happens if a bus runs a red light?
If a bus runs a red light as you are going through the intersection, you may be t-boned and trapped between the plastic and metal of your vehicle and the wreckage of the bus. Even as a passenger, you may be flung from your seat if the bus crashes.
