San Antonio Bus Accident Lawyer Can Provide The Representation You Deserve
Bus accidents are a relatively common occurrence in San Antonio, with recent news coverage featuring incidents in which people have been seriously injured or killed. Although bus crashes in San Antonio occur less frequently than car accidents, everyone should understand the risks they face of encountering injury or death when using a bus for transportation.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation, bus accidents often result in serious damage, with victims facing life-changing injuries. Based on the statistics the agency provides, about 13% of the accidents involved intercity buses, 34% involved other transit buses, and school buses were involved in about 41% of the bus accidents in the United States.
Given the importance of buses as a means of public transportation in cities and suburbs, riding the bus should be just one uneventful part of a person’s life. However, we all know that accidents occur when they are least expected.
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If you, a family member, or even a close friend in San Antonio finds themselves injured in a bus accident, thinking about hiring legal representation might be an afterthought. However, these types of accidents often give rise to viable claims for compensation under personal injury law. Here, we will describe why these accidents occur and how a lawyer can help improve your situation.
Why Do Bus Accidents Occur?
The most frequent causes of bus accidents are quite similar to those that cause other types of motor vehicle accidents, and driver distraction is one of the most common causes. Other top causes for bus crashes include driver inexperience, intoxication, and speeding. A driver’s failure to pay attention to the road can also lead to an accident.
Some of the things that are most likely to cause driver distraction include talking on the phone or to passengers, failing to follow instructions from dispatchers, or eating and drinking. In some cases, a driver is distracted by texting, which requires them to take their attention off the road.
Accidents can also happen because of other drivers’ negligence, too, such as another driver who fails to follow the rules of the road. A person who has been injured in a bus accident caused by someone else’s negligence or fault is usually entitled to seek compensation for the injuries they have suffered, in addition to medical expenses, lost wages, or other damages.
A San Antonio bus accident lawyer can be of great assistance in helping you decide what steps to take next. Before demonstrating the reasons why it is important to consult a legal professional, here is a bulleted list of common causes of bus accidents, including those that do not have to do with the driver:
- Driver negligence or distraction
- Poorly designed roads that do not leave sufficient room for properly maneuvering a bus
- Poor road conditions or other construction problems
- Vehicle handling issues and equipment defects
- Poorly designed bus structure and parts
- Uneven weight distribution, which can compromise a bus’s stability
Lawsuits Concerning Bus Accidents in San Antonio
The circumstances surrounding each accident will be unique, but most accidents involve either private or government bus companies and an insurance company. In simple words, establishing liability might be challenging, irrespective of whether a private or a government company owns that vehicle.
Reputable San Antonio Auto accident lawyers usually have rich experience handling complex types of bus accidents, which allows them to help claimants throughout the entire legal process.
In most cases, the vehicle owner would be considered as a common carrier. This means that they are required to demonstrate a higher standard of care than average drivers would need to uphold.
Additionally, their prime focus should be on protecting their passengers. However, the doctrine of common carriers is only relevant depending on whether your state law accepts it. With that, liability becomes easier to establish against common carriers.
But if the government entity owns the bus, it can become challenging to establish liability. This is true even in times when the drivers seem to be at fault. In some states, the enactment of laws that establish sovereign immunity make it further challenging to establish the liability of a government agency.
This is one specific reason why it is imperative to get a professional’s in-depth insight into the case. Through legal assistance from an experienced and knowledgeable injury lawyer, conducting a comprehensive investigation and assembling the required paperwork becomes easier. In addition, it helps preserve any claims that the victim may have against the responsible parties.
Why Consult the San Antonio Bus Accident Attorney?
Bus crash lawsuits are incredibly complicated because they include multiple parties, such as government agencies, powerful legal teams, major companies, and insurance carriers. A legal professional can ensure that you get treated fairly by performing the following tasks on your behalf:
- Gathering evidence related to the bus crash, such as eyewitness accounts, accident reports, and video surveillance footage
- Negotiating with parties involved to secure a settlement that covers all of the expenses you have incurred that relate to the accident
- Obtaining medical records and performing accurate analysis of your injuries to calculate the total losses you suffered
Contact Our San Antonio Bus Accident Lawyer to Seek Legal Help
To help you limit your suffering in the aftermath of a devastating bus accident, a San Antonio bus accident lawyer can provide the legal help that you need. We can look after everything for you, including medical expenses following the crash, as well as lost income and other damages.
Our legal professionals will also help you pursue compensation for your suffering and pain due to the accident, in addition to punitive damages against the grossly negligent vehicle company or driver. Our legal team helps to improve your situation after the accident so you can focus on your recovery.