In the aftermath of a bus accident you will have a lot of questions. Who was a fault? How do I notify the owner of the bus that I was injured? Where do I get medical treatment? Who will pay for my medical bills? What if I have to miss work? Should I take the settlement the insurance company is offering? Can I be compensated for my pain and suffering?

We Have the Experience You Need

If you have been injured in a bus accident, call Advocates Law Group, PLLC as soon as possible. You will quickly be faced with a number of important decisions and legal issues. Whether it’s a private insurance company or a government entity that owns the bus you were traveling on when injured in an accident, they will attempt to resolve your claim for property damage and injuries as soon as possible and without fair compensation. There is a great deal of knowledge required of the law and hours of legwork needed to effectively negotiate and litigate a personal injury claim for someone injured on a bus.

Call Advocates Law Group, PLLC today at (253) 733-0035 to schedule your FREE case evaluation. Don’t let the stress of managing your injuries, mounting medical bills, lost wages and the unfair, high pressure tactics from insurance companies overwhelm you. Let our experienced legal team do the work for you. We only handle personal injury cases, so our services are essential to helping you maximize your recovery from the insurance.

We Don’t Get Paid Unless You Win

Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means we do not get paid until there is a successful resolution to your claim.

We have two convenient locations to meet or can arrange an on-site visit to a medical facility or your home if you are unable to travel. Our experienced team will fight diligently on your behalf to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve by holding those responsible for your injuries accountable, so you can focus on getting well again.

Common Causes of Bus Accidents

Bus accidents are particularly disastrous due to the lack of seat belts and airbags which are standard in cars and other vehicles. These conditions can set the stage for significant injuries and even fatalities. If you’re fortunate enough to walk away from a bus accident, you may be facing surgery and physical therapy and the extensive costs that go along with that care.

Crashes are caused by a number of factors but many of these accidents—and the injuries that occur as a result—are caused by negligent drivers. Regardless if it was reckless driving, lack of poor driver training or lack of maintenance of the bus or equipment, you can be confident that Advocates Law Group, PLLC will help protect your rights as a victim of someone else’s carelessness.

  • Reckless driving
  • Speeding
  • Overloaded or improperly loaded buses
  • Distracted driving
  • Other drivers on the road
  • Lack of proper bus driver training
  • Work zone and construction zone
  • Hit and run
  • Texting and driving
  • Disobeying turn signals
  • Passing accidents/improper turning
  • Driver fatigue
  • Severe weather
  • Accidents due to driver error
  • Drunk drivers (DUI)
  • Dangerous road conditions
  • Aggressive driving
  • Bus breakdowns/equipment failures

Bus Accident Injuries

Bus accidents can result in a myriad of new injuries and/or aggravate pre-existing conditions for anyone riding in the vehicle. Even accidents that have a low speed impact can significantly hurt people inside a bus because of the limited protection they have as passengers without seatbelts and airbags. Buses are also at a higher risk of tipping or rolling over in a collision.

In the aftermath of a crash, sometimes accident victims are in shock and unaware of their injuries until hours, days or weeks later when symptoms start to surface. Although you may feel you are not injured at the time, you and other passengers should insist that they be checked by a medical professional. Always seek medical attention after an accident and get evaluated for injuries. Put your health first.

Many people think they will get better on their own but do not. Delaying medical attention can affect getting the proper treatment you need to recover. The records of emergency or urgent care, doctor visits, surgical procedures, radiological tests, prescribed medications, and any rehabilitative care will help to support your claim and are your best evidence of the extent of your injuries. Be sure to follow all of your doctor’s recommendations for treatment and therapy. Insurance companies may point to not seeking immediate medical care or gaps in care to deny coverage. Below are examples of common injuries that need attention after an accident.

  • Dizziness
  • Cuts and bruises
  • Discomfort
  • Whiplash
  • Lacerations
  • Soft tissue and nerve damage
  • Ligament damage
  • Dislocations
  • Aggravated pre-existing conditions
  • Concussions
  • Herniated discs
  • Fractures and broken bones
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Brain injuries
  • Facial injuries

Whiplash

Do not ignore whiplash symptoms. Whiplash is an often overlooked but serious injury in bus accidents. It is an injury to your neck as a result of your head and torso moving in different directions, being thrown back and forth in a way that stretches or even tears the tissues. If it is not treated properly it will cause you pain and limit your mobility for weeks, months or even chronically for the rest of your life. Signs of whiplash can show up right after an accident or hours or days later. Some commons signs that you have a whiplash injury are:

  • Pain in neck, shoulders or upper back
  • Stiffness in neck, shoulder and/or upper back
  • Limited or changed ability to move head
  • Dizziness
  • Numbness or pain in arms

Who Is Liable for a Bus Accident

In a bus accident it can be a bit more complicated to determine who is at fault because there is sometimes more than one party involved. It could be the driver of your bus, the bus owner or company, the manufacturer, or a school district or other government entity.

If your bus was hit by the driver of a vehicle or truck, then you would file a third party claim against that driver’s insurance. If the driver of your bus was at fault, then it can get more complicated---especially if the bus is owned and operated by a school district or government agency. Filing a claim against a public entity is more complicated and the rules vary state to state and for different municipalities.

Bus companies often try to save money by offering quick, small settlements to make the claims go away or by even denying your injuries are the result of their accident. If you have suffered a serious injury or have been offered an inadequate settlement, it may be in your best interest to contact Advocates Law Group, PLLC right away. We have experience in all types of vehicle accidents and are ready to put our expertise to work protecting your rights.

Types of Losses after an Accident

As experienced accident and injury attorneys, we will review your case and assess what types of losses you have experienced and help you understand the different types of compensation that are available. Before you can be compensated, you must prove that the person at fault was the cause of your loss. Necessary evidence must be obtained in order to make a case including witness statements, pictures, automotive repair estimate and bills, police reports, medical records, employer records, insurance company documents and sometimes expert opinions.

  • Property Damage – If you were in a bus accident and had personal property with you that was damaged in a collision you will be entitled to have those items repaired or replaced.
  • Medical Costs – This would include all expenses for any medical treatment related to the bus accident. You should keep a record of all medical visits as well as treatment records for use in obtaining this type of compensation. You may even be able to recover the cost of future medical care.
  • Lost Wages – You can obtain compensation for lost wages after an accident. If you were unable to work due to your injuries, or can no longer perform the same work, then you can recover for this loss. Sometimes, people have a lost earning capacity as a result of their injuries that is distinct and separate from their lost wages.
  • Emotional Distress – It is common to have emotional issues after a bus wreck, including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You may be scared of riding in a bus in the future which may have been your only transportation to and from your place of employment and ability to run errands, which can greatly impact your life. It’s very important to seek treatment for the emotional toll dealing that with your injuries has caused and a good therapist can help.
  • Long-Term Care Expenses – If you are unable to care for yourself or need to make modifications to your home, then you may be eligible for long-term care expenses. These can help you regain some of the standard of living after a car accident.
  • Loss of Enjoyment of Life – These damages are generally designed to compensate for a plaintiff’s loss of the capacity and ability to enjoy the pleasures of life, including the enjoyment that comes from such things as hobbies, interests and vocations.
  • Pain & Suffering – Recovery for “pain and suffering” caused by your accident compensates the plaintiff for all of the physical and mental pain, discomfort and misery caused by the injury, and includes inconvenience, mental anguish, disability or disfigurement incurred by the injured party, emotional distress, loss of society and companionship, loss of consortium, injury to reputation and humiliation, inconvenience and destruction of the parent-child relationship.

In order to receive compensation for your losses after an accident there is a great deal of evidence gathering required. Advocates Law Group, PLLC can do this work for you. Collecting all the evidence needed for your case can be very time consuming and records can be difficult to obtain. Our attorneys and staff are familiar with the evidence retrieval process and are also experts at interviewing witnesses and medical professionals.

What to Do after a Bus Accident

If you are involved in a bus accident in Washington State, the first thing to do is call the police and seek medical treatment. This is important because police reports and medical records will serve as critical evidence in your car accident claim.

Immediately after an accident:

  • Assess your safety and the safety of others around you.
  • Render aid to yourself or others immediately, if needed.
  • Call 911 for medical attention if needed and to dispatch a police officer to the scene. Police are trained in accident investigation and can collect valuable information and also cite drivers for fault on the scene.
  • Be careful of making statements at this time but gather information and write it down.
  • Take or ask others to take pictures or videos of the vehicles and any other evidence that would be critical to proving who is at fault.
  • Get checked out by medical professionals even if you aren’t sure if you have been injured. Sometimes you are in shock and until the adrenaline wears off you may not feel your injuries. You may also have a concussion that needs to be attended to.
  • Call Advocates Law Group, PLLC for legal advice.

Call Advocates Law Group, PLLC today at (253) 733-0035 to learn more about your rights and schedule your FREE case evaluation.

back to top