Buses of all kinds—school buses, city buses, private buses, and charter buses—are responsible for very serious accidents, injuries, and fatalities daily. Victims of all ages are affected and include bus passengers, passengers in other vehicles, pedestrians, and other non-pedestrians.
For example, data collected over from 2008-2017 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported 1,241 total school-transportation-related accident fatalities, a number that includes bus passengers, passengers in other vehicles, pedestrians, and other non-passengers, such as cyclists and skateboarders.
If you have lost someone in a bus accident, or if you have been seriously injured in one, you might be eligible for damages. However, when you are hurt, it is hard to find the energy to do legal research and file a personal injury lawsuit on your own. That is where a Memphis bus accident lawyer can help. A lawyer can help you file a personal injury lawsuit for the compensation you deserve so that you can focus on your recovery.
The personal injury lawyers at Ben Crump Law, PLLC are passionate about victims’ rights. We want you to know that you do not have to suffer alone. When you experience an injury at the hands of a negligent party, you are owed compensation for the harm they caused.
If you would like to speak to a team member at Ben Crump Law, PLLC about your bus accident injury, call us today at (800) 921-7227 for a free consultation. We charge nothing until we win a settlement or verdict for you.
Liability in Bus Accidents
When factoring liability in bus accident cases, it is necessary to refer to Tennessee state statutes. Tennessee assigns “comparative fault” to parties of accidents, which is fault based on a driver’s level of responsibility for the accident. This means that in a car accident, a person only 25% responsible could still collect damages, but their compensation would just be decreased by 25% for their involvement.
However, figuring out liability in a bus accident may be different than doing so for a car accident. Due to the fact that many buses are owned and operated by private companies or government agencies, the bus driver responsible for your accident may or may not be liable. It will depend on how the driver caused the accident or what they were doing at the time it occurred.
If the bus driver was performing the duties of their job as required, the company or agency who owns the bus might be liable. If, for example, a company demanded a driver work 12-hour shifts several days a week, causing the driver to suffer from severe exhaustion and to fall asleep at the wheel, the driver’s employer would likely be liable for that accident.
However, if a bus driver was off-the-clock when they caused the accident and your injuries, their company might not be liable. Instead, because they were not performing the duties of their job, that driver could be personally liable for any harm caused by the accident.
For a free legal consultation with a bus accidents lawyer serving Memphis, call (800) 921-7227
The Severity of Bus Accidents
Most pedestrian-bus accidents happen in urban areas, as there are a high number of pedestrians rushing to and from bus stops, commuting in congested, high-traffic areas.
Naturally, pedestrians injured by buses tend to have a lower survival rate in comparison to bus passengers, due to their physical vulnerability and lack of protection. For example, in the previously referenced study by the NHTSA, vehicle passengers made up only 10% of fatalities, while pedestrians made up 17%.
However, passengers in other vehicles made up 70% of fatalities, emphasizing the fact that buses consistently do significant harm to other, smaller vehicles. Being so much larger and heavier than the majority of vehicles, their impact, even at low speeds, can be extremely devastating.
Memphis Bus Accident Lawyer Near Me (800) 921-7227
Bus Accident Injuries
The following are common injuries that victims in bus accidents often suffer.
Crush Injuries
A passenger in another car who is hit by a bus can experience severe consequences. When rear-ended by a bus, a smaller car can suffer a major impact. The bus can crush the rear of the car, shoving passengers in the back seat forward into the front, causing severe long-term injuries.
This also happens when a bus runs head-on, directly into a car, causing side-impact collisions, sometimes completely crushing one side of a car.
Traumatic Amputation Injuries
When buses accidentally run or swerve into another lane, the hit can be so significant that the driver and driver’s side passenger may experience traumatic amputation injuries as the bus rolls into and over that side of the car. Other amputations can occur when either the bus or cars run a stop sign, red light, or fail to acknowledge another traffic law.
Minor Injuries
Other injuries suffered in bus accidents that are less serious include fractured bones, sometimes fractured bones that break the skin, lacerations, bone and soft tissue bruising, and scraping or friction injuries.
Fortunately, many of these injuries can be treated fairly easily. There are those, however, which can be much more severe, like head, neck, and spinal cord fractures, or lacerations that cut deep enough to affect major organs and arteries.
Ben Crump Law, PLLC cares about victims’ rights. You have the right to justice, and we can help you exercise it. To get the compensation you deserve, you can file a personal injury lawsuit, or if you have lost someone, a wrongful death lawsuit.
Each type of lawsuit will need to be filed according to Tennessee state law, following the appropriate procedures. A Memphis bus accident lawyer can help you to make sure it is filed correctly. One factor you will want to be aware of is the statute of limitations, which is a filing deadline for your lawsuit.
The statute of limitations for either lawsuit is one year, as stated in Tennessee Code Annotated § 20-5-113 and Tennessee Code Annotated § 28-3-104. A different statute may apply if you are filing a lawsuit against a government entity.
You deserve an award that will give you the freedom of a peaceful recovery. You should get compensation for your suffering and the trauma you have endured.
To learn more about whether you are eligible to recover and how to do so, give Ben Crump Law, PLLC a call for a free consultation at (800) 921-7227. A Memphis bus accident lawyer can help you for no charge and expect nothing unless we win a settlement for you.
Call or text (800) 921-7227 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
