Houston Bus Accident Lawyer

Although buses can be one of the safest modes of transportation, any bus that becomes involved in an accident can cause a wide range of injuries to passengers. We explore accident factors and injuries surrounding these kinds of accidents, as well as where to find a Houston bus accident lawyer.

According to research conducted by the University of Michigan, an estimated 286,000 buses were involved in accidents between 1995 and 1999 in the U.S.1 Bus types included small passenger, public transportation, charter, and school buses.

The most obvious danger of sharing the road with these vehicles is their size and weight; because of these two factors, a bus will be far more likely to involve other vehicles in a crash and take a far greater time and distance to come to a stop.

Another factor that makes buses so dangerous is the fact that they simply do not offer the same level of safety that other vehicles do. For example, a bus doesn’t have airbags or individual seat belts for each passenger. Finally, a bus’s design makes it far more likely to roll over in an accident, causing serious injury or death to passengers. All of these things could lead to a personal injury lawsuit.

WHAT ARE COMMON TYPES OF BUS ACCIDENTS?

Many kinds of bus accidents can occur, including the smallest type of bus—the passenger van. You may have seen these buses carrying passengers to daycare facilities, churches, or similar locations.

School buses also often become involved in accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that between 2006 and 2015, 1,172 of the 324,710 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. were classified as being related to school transportation.

Inter-city buses, which typically travel through a number of cities or across multiple states, were involved in an average of 13 percent of all fatal bus crashes between 2006 and 2016, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

The transit buses that transport community members between locations within towns and cities are another common type of vehicle to become involved in accidents. In fact, the FMCSA reports that transit bus accidents were responsible for 34 percent of all fatal bus accidents between 2006 and 2016.

WHAT CAN CAUSE A BUS CRASH?

Bus accidents can be caused by several factors that involve drivers themselves. By far, driver fatigue appears at the top of the list of causes, due to the long and demanding shifts that drivers are often expected to work.

Unfortunately, impaired driving due to drugs and alcohol can also be a factor in these accidents, even though drivers know that doing so is illegal and their passengers are relying on the driver to get them where they need to go as safely as possible.

Bus drivers can sometimes also fail to notice other drivers on the road due to the size of the vehicles they drive, and the fact that there tend to be a far higher number of blind spots on a bus than there are on trucks or cars. Yet another common cause of bus accidents can be driver’s failure to adhere to state and city traffic laws.

Street conditions at the time a bus is involved in an accident can be a significant cause. All vehicles will have a harder time controlling their vehicle when the road conditions are poor. As well, improper road maintenance can contribute to higher accident risk when combined with inclement weather that makes roads dangerous to travel.

The poor maintenance of a bus can make it more vulnerable to breaking down and causing an accident while it is traveling. The law dictates that bus companies are responsible for regular vehicle maintenance, but, despite this, companies can fail to meet this responsibility.

Mechanical problems can also contribute to bus accidents via product liability. For example, a faulty suspension or brake system or defective tires are all potential factors that can cause accidents. Other common bus accident causes include uneven weight distribution, driver distraction, and driving in heavily populated areas.

Due to their lack of passenger restraints, their size, and their weight, passengers on a bus at the time of an accident can sustain a wide range of injuries to the brain, neck, head, and spinal cord, as well as lacerations and broken bones.

Depending on their severity, the injuries sustained in a Midtown bus accident may require lengthy and costly hospital stays, rehabilitation, and pain medication. As well, they may require victims to take time off from their jobs to recover.

HOW IS FAULT AND NEGLIGENCE DETERMINED?

For those who were involved in this kind of accident, determining fault is the key to getting compensation in court. An experienced bus accident attorney in Houston will gather and examine all of the evidence to pinpoint who is at fault. This involves considering reports from the police eyewitness and victim statements, and even bus cameras.

Another driver may have caused the accident or fault may rest with the bus driver or the company they work for. Suppliers of various parts or those who provide maintenance to buses can also be found liable.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FILING A LAWSUIT WITH AN EXPERIENCED BUS ACCIDENT LAWYER?

If you’ve been involved in a bus accident in a place like TX Medical Center, it’s important to do whatever you can to get compensation for your injuries. There is the option to go on your own and file a lawsuit without a lawyer—but in doing so, you’ll have to make sure you have all of the necessary evidence, including the reports and statements mentioned above.

You’ll have to ensure all evidence is properly gathered; for example, only facts are admissible in court; you’ll need to be sure that witness statements, including your own, are free of opinions. It’s also important to thoroughly investigate all possible accident causes.

If you are trying to recover from your injuries, conducting a thorough investigation and gathering the proper evidence can be incredibly difficult if not impossible. Also, going without legal representation in court can result in you receiving far less for your injuries than you deserve.

In getting a lawyer and filing a personal injury lawsuit, you’ll have an experienced professional on your side who understands these kinds of cases and who will be able to get you the highest possible amount of compensation. This will be very valuable to you if your injuries have forced you to take time off work and have left you wondering how you will pay your bills.

Attorneys who specialize in these kinds of accidents already know how to gather evidence properly and ensure that thorough investigations are conducted. This means that needed information can be gathered in far less time, and your case is built more quickly.

CALL A HOUSTON BUS ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

If you’ve been injured in a bus accident, then you need an attorney with this kind of specific experience. The Houston bus accident lawyers at Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. have years of trial experience in personal injury law and bus accident cases.

We know how to navigate complex lawsuits, but we also understand the many ways that bus companies and their insurance providers will try to avoid responsibility so they don’t have to pay you for your injuries and lost wages. If you’ve sustained injuries in a bus accident in Midtown or elsewhere, get in touch with our team today and claim your free consultation.