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You’ve likely found our page on bus accidents because you or a loved one have been hurt in one and you have questions such as:
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When choosing where to live, it’s not unusual for anyone who is searching for a home to take public transportation into consideration, including nearby bus stops and routes. While the bus can be a wonderful way to travel, it’s not always safe for the countless passengers that get on and off each day.
What’s worse is the fact that it’s not only adults who count on buses for their daily commute. Indeed, many of us wave goodbye to our kids every morning as they board the yellow bus and head to school. Unfortunately, the regularity with which school buses are on the road can also make them more likely to be involved in accidents that leave those traveling within them gravely injured.
The majority of buses are not equipped with seat belts. Although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration claims that buses are safe without seat belts due to the compartmentalization design and energy-absorbing seat backs, passengers and the loved ones of those who have been hurt in a bus accident will tell you that injuries may have been avoided if only seat belts were installed.
In fact, many point out that cost may be the real reason why seat belts aren’t required since installing safety restraints could cost $7,000 to $11,000 per bus.
Sadly, until laws change, many bus companies won’t be required to seat belts possibly putting thousands of lives at risk.
If you or a loved one were hurt when the bus you were riding crashed, you may be able to recover compensation for any injuries that you sustained by filing a bus accident lawsuit. These lawsuits can provide full compensation for both past and future medical expenses, lost wages, physical pain, and emotional trauma.
Speaking with our bus crash lawyers about the circumstances of your case will allow you to be better informed as to your possibilities for compensation through a bus crash claim.
Many bus accident victims fail to seek legal assistance immediately because they feel that adding the stress of a legal complaint will be too much to deal with while juggling time away from work, the potential end of a career, and even ongoing medical treatments. The trouble is that a statute of limitations applies, meaning that a lawsuit must be filed within a certain period of time in order to be valid.
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania the statute of limitations, or the limit to file a bus accident lawsuit/claim, is two years. If the two year period since the date of the incident elapses and no claim has been brought forth, it is nearly impossible to achieve any kind of compensation even in cases where the victim suffered life-altering injuries.
Did you know that depending on the seating capacity that a bus can weigh between 25,000 and 36,000 pounds? When a vehicle that weighs this much is traveling at high speeds, any crash that occurs can result in catastrophic damage to both those inside and outside of the vehicle.
The most common causes of bus accidents include:
When a person texts while driving their eyes leave the road and often a driver will go the entire length of a football field without once looking up.
Bus drivers are expected to work long hours in a stressful and draining environment and true fatigue is common. Fatigue can result in slower reaction times, impaired judgment, reduced concentration, and may result in the driver falling asleep behind the wheel.
Drunk driving is a leading cause of all auto accidents because alcohol consumption causes slowed reaction times and seriously impaired judgment. Even though police officers are always on the lookout for drunk drivers, on average, a driver gets behind the wheel while intoxicated 80 times before they are caught.
Bus drivers have to stick to a strict schedule and frequently feel the pressure to speed so that they are on time to each stop. But when a driver speeds it takes a longer distance to come to a complete stop and accidents are more likely to occur.
Many buses are designed to haul large loads such as the suitcases of passengers. In fact, many bus companies offer shipping services. But when suitcases and packages are loaded onto a bus the weight must be distributed evenly or the vehicle may tip while being operated.
If a bus part isn’t manufactured properly or if it isn’t properly maintained, it may break down while the vehicle is in use and cause an accident.
Counties, towns, and cities are all responsible for making sure that roads are well maintained and the signs posted on these roads are correct. Otherwise drivers many unintentionally make an error that could result in a crash.
Whatever the cause, bus crashes can leave victims suffering from debilitating injuries and some argue that this is because buses lack an incredibly important safety feature: seat belts.
If you suffered personal injuries in a bus accident, you deserve to be informed as to your legal options. Our team of attorneys makes their services available to all victims of bus accidents via free legal consultations. Simply give us a call and schedule your no-charge, no-obligation case review to receive the legal information you need to make the right decision for yourself and for your family.
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For additional details regarding the legal cases handled by our law firm, visit the following page - Bicycle Accident Case Lawyers Defending Pennsylvania Riders