Bus accidents can happen in many ways and they do not always involve a collision with the bus itself. If you have been injured in a bus accident you may be up against a large bus company, a government entity, or both. Busing laws are more complicated than the laws which apply in regular auto accidents and the type of bus involved in your accident will determine which laws apply in your case. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a bus accident, you need the help of an experiences Los Angeles accident lawyer.
Responsible Parties in Bus Accidents
One of the important first steps in your bus accident case is determining the type of bus that was involved and who was responsible for that bus. Your bus accident may involve multiple responsible parties including:
- Metro Transit Authority (MTA)
- LA Metro
- Downtown Area Short Hop (DASH)
- Santa Monica Bus Line
- Commuter Express
- Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA)
- Greyhound
- First Transit
- Public school district
- Private school
- Church
- Other charter bus company
If your bus accident was the result of a defective bus or defective bus parts, responsible parties can include:
- Bus manufacturer
- Parts manufacturer
- Repair shop
Of course, bus drivers and other drivers can also be to blame for bus accidents. One of the most common ways that bus passengers, especially school bus passengers, get hurt is while boarding and exiting the bus. This can happen when other drivers do not look for bus passengers or break traffic laws. It can also happen if the bus driver does not look for passengers still near the bus when he pulls out from the bus stop.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a bus accident, please call our Los Angeles accident lawyers at 1-877 LOSS RECOVER (1-877-567-7732) or submit an online questionnaire. The initial consultation with our personal injury lawyers is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, in most cases we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if we recover money for you. In California, a personal injury lawsuit must be filed before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.