Philadelphia Bus Accident Attorney

A bus accident can result in devastating injuries to passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers. The generally large size of buses makes them difficult to avoid or maneuver around after an initial impact. Oftentimes, a bus involved in an accident can block the roadway, causing traffic to come to a stop. This situation can be dangerous and lead to additional rear-end or side-swept collisions.

If you sustained an injury in a Philadelphia bus accident, you may require hospitalization or long-term medical treatment. Your injuries and damage to your property can cause unexpected financial hardship as you may be unable to work for an extended period of time, your continued treatment may cause medical bills to pile up quickly, and you could be facing long-term rehabilitation costs.

A Philadelphia Bus Accident Attorney with Quinn Injury Lawyers can help you navigate the complexities of filing a case against the liable party, protect your rights, and make sure that you receive the compensation you need.

Regulating Commercial Vehicles vs. Passenger Vehicles 

A bus accident injury claim is different from other personal injury claims because public policy dictates that large vehicles should be more closely regulated than smaller vehicles to ensure road safety. Most states have enacted trucking laws that impose stricter driving standards on anyone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle, such as a bus or truck. 

Larger vehicles can inflict more damage in an accident because of their size, so legislation around commercial vehicles largely focuses on limiting their speed and restricting work hours for drivers. The laws can also be harsher on commercial drivers who engage in dangerous or negligent behavior while behind the wheel, such as texting or using a cell phone. 

The differences in the regulations between commercial vehicles and personal vehicles can make filing a claim feel more complicated for people who are not well versed in legal representation. 

Anatomy of a Bus Accident Injury Claim

Bus accident injury claims are one of the most complex injury cases. These cases require special investigative techniques to ascertain the cause of the accident, and they often require an understanding of both federal and state laws affecting public transportation, which can vary from city to city or state to state. 

To begin the claims process, you need to determine who is responsible for your injuries. Several parties can be considered liable in a bus accident, including: 

• The bus company
• The driver
• A governmental agency that may have been involved in maintaining or regulating the roadway where the accident occurred

You should also determine if anyone besides the bus driver might have contributed to your injuries, including a third party like the bus manufacturer or another vehicle involved in the accident. If you were a pedestrian at the time of your accident, for example, you would need to identify who was negligent in maintaining or repairing the roadway where the accident occurred. Vehicle maintenance records will need to be obtained and reviewed for all of these parties. 

An experienced Philadelphia Bus Accident Attorney can assist you with this process. The capable attorneys at Quinn Injury Lawyers have extensive knowledge and a firm understanding of Pennsylvania’s bus laws and can help guide you in your claims process.

Bus Accident Liability Laws

Bus operators may feel forced to ignore traffic regulations to adhere to strict timetables and pick-up schedules, driving recklessly or at unsafe speeds while overwhelmed with multiple tasks. Although most bus drivers exercise safe practices, their demanding work schedules can lead to situational stress, resulting in poor judgment while behind the wheel.

A typical personal injury case involving a commercial vehicle is based on negligence. For negligence law to apply, the defendant driver must have failed to take proper care during the accident — which may include speeding, distracted driving, fatigued/drowsy, etc. However, many states impose strict regulations on large vehicles that make it easier for injured parties to prove liability in court, even if their lawyers cannot explicitly prove the driver was engaging in negligent behavior. 

In some cases, both parties can be found liable for one accident — this is called comparative negligence. In most jurisdictions where comparative negligence is applied, a plaintiff’s damages will be reduced by their degree of fault. In this instance, it is possible that an injured party who is partially responsible for causing an accident can recover nothing from the defendant.

Bus Accidents Legal Ramifications

Laws governing bus accidents vary by state. Generally, the commercial vehicle operator is subject to stricter driving standards than the average driver in a passenger vehicle. Most laws regulating commercial vehicles are directed toward bus drivers — including school buses, city transportation services, and tour buses. Under most circumstances, if you are involved in an accident with an improperly regulated bus, there may be several liable parties who will be responsible for your compensation.

As a general rule, if the bus driver acted negligently and was responsible for causing your injuries, you can recover damages from the driver through a personal injury lawsuit. However, strict regulations on commercial vehicles can reduce the liability of any negligent parties.

Get a Bus Accident Attorney

If you sustained an injury in a Philadelphia bus accident, contact a Quinn Injury Lawyers attorney to help you file a personal injury claim. Your lawyer will gather evidence and build a case to prove the party liable was negligent. Whether the driver’s negligence caused your injuries by speeding, driving under the influence or texting and talking on the phone or the bus company supervisors failed to properly hire, train, and monitor their drivers, an experienced attorney will ensure you get the compensation you need to fully recover. 

Call Quinn Injury Lawyers today to schedule a free initial consultation with a Philadelphia Bus Accident Attorney who will help you understand your legal rights and guide you in taking the next steps in the claims process.

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