Filing a Bus Accident Injury Claim

Many Los Angeles commuters prefer to take the bus. It is a convenient way to travel in that it helps them avoid the stress of driving on the city’s congested highways. In general, buses tend to be safe. Their drivers are screened before they are offered employment, and they tend to be well-trained before being allowed to carry passengers. However, this is no guarantee against accident and injury.

The Safety Risks Associated with Bus Accidents
Buses are large and solid vehicles. Their bulk and sturdiness offer some protection to passengers. But with this size comes other risks. Buses are more likely to roll-over if they are involved in an accident. Because they are top heavy and at times travel at high speeds, they can flip over in a crash or collision.

Most buses are without basic safety features. Seatbelts and airbags are not available to passengers. So, if there is an accident, passengers may be thrown from their seats and suffer the injuries associated with that type of fall.

Why You Need a Lawyer
Bus accidents rarely happen, which is why it will be a much-publicized event if you are ever in one. The accident will also be thoroughly investigated. Federal and state governments will be involved in the investigation even if the bus line is privately-owned. The bus line’s insurance company will also investigate the accident to determine fault and liability.

If you were injured in an accident, you will be offered a settlement. The money offered will be on the low side, as it is the practice of insurance companies to minimize the amount they must pay out. You should not take the money until you have spoken with a bus accident lawyer Los Angeles.

Even if the company argues that other injured passengers have taken the settlement, you should resist this pressure in favor of the advice offered by your bus accident lawyer Los Angeles. If scrapes, bruises, and soft tissue injuries were the only injuries you sustained, then it may be a good idea to take the money. These types of injuries can be easily and inexpensively treated and you are not likely to lose many days work because of them. The money offered by the bus company may be more than enough to compensate you for the pain and inconvenience you have endured.

However, if the accident was severe and you suffered multiple broken bones, head trauma, and other serious injuries, you may want to press for more money.

The Financial Consequences of Trauma
If the bus you were on flipped over, it may have thrown you violently from your seat and caused serious neck and head injuries. This may have put you in the hospital for a long-time and required you to undergo a series of invasive and expensive operations. It will not be easy to recover financially from the income you lost and bills you accumulated during this period. The bus company must be pressured into offering you a higher sum of money.

How a Los Angeles Bus Accident Attorney Can Help
You do not need to sue the bus company directly after your accident. However, if they are unwilling to compensate you fairly, then you will have to do so. A bus accident lawyer can give you the counsel and tools you need to get justice.

Your Los Angeles bus accident attorney will go beyond the official reports in the investigation of the accident. If you file a personal injury lawsuit against the bus line, then you will need to prove that they were at fault for the accident and the injuries you sustained as a result of it. The most common way for lawyers to do this is to demonstrate the recklessness, inattention, incompetence, or unfitness of the driver or the malfunction or unfitness of the vehicle. Your bus accident lawyer will pursue both paths of inquiry.

They will be aided by the results of the government investigation, but they will want to go further. One of the first things they will do is enlist the help of professional investigators. These investigative experts will re-interview witnesses who were both passengers on the bus and who were amongst the crowd that saw the accident. Going over witness testimony can bring to light new details about the actions of the driver—details which may work in your favor.

Your Los Angeles personal injury lawyer will also scrutinize all information related to the material condition of the bus. They will look closely at maintenance records and even the qualifications of the people on the maintenance crews. Your legal team will look for any signs of material defects or discrepancies that were overlooked or concealed. They will also look for indications that the bus company purchased equipment from unreliable and disreputable vendors.

Your Los Angeles personal injury lawyer will get to the bottom of what caused the accident and your injury.