For many people, bus travel is a convenient and economical way to get to work or travel to another destination. More than 750 million passengers take commercial buses every year in the United States, and many of those individuals are from bustling cities like Philadelphia. The motorcoach industry has over 35,000 vehicles on the road, including tour, sightseeing, charter, shuttle and commuter services. While buses are a safe option for travel, accidents can lead to severe injuries and, in some cases, death. If you have been involved in a harrowing bus accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Call the Philadelphia bus accident attorneys at Raynes & Lawn today.
Driver error is one of the primary factors in about 80 percent of crashes, including bus accidents. When you have been involved in a bus accident, make sure to call law enforcement immediately. While you wait for the police to arrive, ensure that anyone else involved is safe and, if they are injured, keep them comfortable until the ambulance arrives.
Obtain the officer’s name and contact information so that you can get a copy of the agency’s report. You will want to obtain the information of everyone involved, including the bus driver’s name, passengers, and witnesses.
Don’t forget to take a few pictures of the accident scene. It will be easier to prove your claim if you have proof to back up your case. Photographic evidence can document physical injuries to you and others, as well as the position of the bus, any other vehicles involved, and the speed limit or other road signs.
Someone may ask you to sign documents. Refuse until you have talked to a Philadelphia bus accident attorney and have seen a doctor. It is important to seek medical attention, as injuries may not always be immediately obvious to you. The symptoms of certain injuries might not show for hours or days. If you don’t have documented evidence of your injuries, it may weaken the strength of your injury claim.
Furthermore, make sure you report the accident, as this is law in Pennsylvania, even if you were not at fault.
If you have been injured due to the negligence of a bus driver, you may not know what comes next. Do you simply live with the injuries or loss? Or do you pursue compensation? The Personal Injury Attorneys at Raynes & Lawn can guide you through each step and help you get the compensation you deserve.
If you want to obtain compensation for your case, then you will need to know which parties are responsible for the accident. In some cases, there may be several parties involved in a lawsuit.
The most common parties include:
Bus accidents are far less common than car accidents; however, the injuries suffered by people involved in bus accidents can be far more devastating. In the United States, there are 0.14 fatalities per billion miles traveled by buses. The rate in cars is 11.3 fatalities per billion miles on the road. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), here are some other notable statistics:
According to the US Department of Transportation, there are about 67,000 bus-related accidents annually, amounting to about 183 bus crashes daily.
In 2016, there were 227 buses involved in fatal accidents. This number includes school buses, tour buses and municipal buses. It was a 14 percent decrease from the previous year.
From 2005 to 2009, the roads saw the lowest number of bus accidents. Unfortunately, since 2009, the number of fatal bus accidents has doubled.
In 2014, there were 11,000 buses involved in crashes with injuries. These injured parties included the driver, passengers or other third parties. FMCSA estimates that only 2 percent of all accidents are fatal. Twenty-five percent of fatal injuries were to non-motorists.
As you can tell, these accidents are not common in the United States. However, injuries, loss of life, property damage and suffering can be devastating for the affected parties. A bus accident law firm will be able to help you fight for any compensation you may be owed and hold any negligent parties at fault for your injuries.
Filing a legal claim can be a complicated process. When you have been injured, you don’t want to take on the bus company and other parties by yourself. An attorney may be able to help you find those responsible for the accident and hold them liable for your damages. An attorney will protect your rights throughout the entire process. A bus accident lawyer will help you seek any compensation that you may be due for your injuries.
Moreover, the Philadelphia bus accident lawyers at Raynes & Lawn go above and beyond what you may expect. Our team brings in the experts to recreate the scene of the accident, investigating the cause, to prove that your injuries are the direct result of someone else’s negligence. In the end, we construct an irrefutable case. That is why we have helped our clients recover over $50 billion in damages over the years.
If you want to schedule a consultation with a Philadelphia bus accident attorney, make sure to fill out the contact form or call our toll-free number (800) 535-1797.
There are many ways a bus accident can inflict injury upon those involved. Additionally, buses have a higher risk of rollovers, which can lead to catastrophic injuries. Injuries from a bus accident can range from back and muscle pain to severe lifelong injuries such as paralysis or amputated limbs.
Some of the most common bus accident injuries include:
The leading causes of bus accidents are similar to other vehicle accidents. Alcohol, distracted driving, speeding and inexperienced drivers top the list of reasons why a bus accident may occur. Texting while driving is becoming a big problem, especially with bus drivers. Those few seconds of distraction can lead to crossing into another lane and the driver over-correcting the bus. While that is dangerous enough with a smaller vehicle, any sudden movement with a bus can lead to a serious crash.
Bus drivers, particularly those who shuttle passengers between states, are also vulnerable to highway hypnosis and falling asleep behind the wheel. The same thing happens with truck drivers attempting to drive straight through their delivery route without any breaks.
There are many other leading causes of bus accidents, and they include:
With any personal injury case, you may recover three primary types of damages. Whether your case is able to be settled without pursuing a formal lawsuit or goes to trial, you may collect these damages from the responsible parties in the accident.
These damages include:
For example, if you are suffering from a loss of financial stability, because your injuries have kept you from returning to work, you may be awarded non-economic damages. Should the bus accident occur due to a driver becoming distracted by their phone or falling asleep at the wheel, you may also receive punitive damages on top of the non-economic ones.
Due to the complex nature of motor vehicle accidents, it is important that you sit down with an experienced Philadelphia bus accident lawyer today and discuss your case.
The attorneys at Raynes & Lawn believe that people who are injured because of the negligent actions of others deserve to be fully compensated for their losses. We are strong advocates for the rights of our clients and work hard to recover maximum compensation for each one. If you or a loved one has been critically injured do to someone else’s negligence, please click here to fill out the contact form, or call 1-800-535-1797 and someone from our team will be ready to help. Every initial case evaluation is free.
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