Bus accidents, while rare, lead to serious consequences and injuries. In the most extreme cases, they can even lead to wrongful deaths. Knowing that you can receive justice after being victimized by a school bus accident can give comfort to victims, however. If you or a loved one have been injured in a bus accident, here’s a handy guide that can help you start your journey toward receiving justice and a fair, substantial settlement.
Table of Contents
Who Can You Sue After a School Bus Accident?
Finding out who to sue after you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident can feel complicated, especially if you know nothing about the law (an issue that can be remedied by an experienced bus accident lawyer). To keep things simple, six core categories make up the individuals (and/or groups) that you can sue after a bus accident occurs:
1. The Mechanics
One of the most common culprits investigators look for after bus accidents is the people responsible for maintaining the bus. If they fail to do their job properly or skip legally-required steps, they could be held responsible for the damages caused by their negligent maintenance job.
2. A Company
Oftentimes, the company that owns a bus, or who handles a bus’s routes, is responsible for both vehicle maintenance, and ensuring that drivers are following safety protocols. If they fail to perform their jobs properly, they may open themselves up to legal jeopardy in the aftermath of a bus accident.
3. The Government
Especially when it comes to bus accidents that involve student buses, the government may receive the brunt of legal responsibility. After all, the government is responsible for ensuring every single aspect of student transportation is made as safe as humanly possible. When they fail to do so, constituents may demand restitution.
4. Reckless Pedestrians
Even if those involved in the bus’s work are safe, a reckless pedestrian (such as a cyclist, driver, or pedestrian), can cause a bus accident with serious consequences. If they are the key and obvious cause of the accident, lawsuits filed by the victims of the said accident will likely be pointed toward the reckless pedestrians.
5. The Driver
In many cases, the driver of the bus will be one of the first parties to be investigated post-accident. If the driver was intoxicated, reckless, or breaking the law when the accident occurred, they would be much more likely to be hit with legal consequences (and/or lawsuits).
6. The Manufacturer
Just as is the case with car accidents, bus accidents can sometimes come about due to manufacturer negligence. If a bus was sold with known issues and mechanical faults, accidents caused by those issues might leave the bus manufacturer with legal consequences.
How Can a Lawsuit Help You Post-Accident?
By filing a lawsuit, you can make those responsible for the accident legally required to offer you restitution for the suffering they’ve caused. Whether this means you’ll have the ability to pay legal bills or lead a more positive life post-accident, the payout you’ll receive (and that you deserve), will benefit your life. If the bus accident caused a lot of injuries, you would be helping to support fellow victims by filing a lawsuit against the parties responsible for said accident.
Do You Need a Lawyer to Help with Your Lawsuit?
Hiring a lawyer post-accident is highly recommended. Not only can they help you understand your rights, but they can ensure you’ve got the knowledge needed to successfully settle a lawsuit against the parties that victimized you. The endless benefits their experience can offer you are difficult to overstate, so finding a lawyer that both specializes in bus accident law, and that fits your personal needs, is key to finding justice.
Avoid Accepting an Unacceptable Settlement Offer
One of the major advantages of hiring a bus accident lawyer is the help they’ll provide in getting you a fair, and substantial settlement offer. Unfortunately, responsible parties will likely try to lowball you with the first settlement offer. Thankfully, lawyers that deal with bus accidents have the experience needed to help you avoid this first offer, and receive a better, more substantial settlement before your lawsuit concludes.
Justice is Available
With the right legal help, you can bring those that victimized you to justice. Knowing that you’ll have a legal professional by your side during this difficult time can allow you to heal from the accident more efficiently. You deserve to live a happy, full life after you’ve been in a harsh bus accident. With the information in this handy guide, you can begin following your path toward justice.
