Buses provide an inexpensive and convenient mode of transportation for navigating the city or for longer journeys. However, injuries incurred while you are travelling on a bus can be extremely severe and fatal. While onboard a bus, passengers often experience injuries due to the sudden acceleration of the bus before you are seated. Injuries can even occur before you board the bus; for example, if the bus door prematurely shuts or the proper steps are not taken by the bus driver so that you can safely board the bus. Additionally, you may be injured by a bus as a pedestrian, driver, or passenger in a vehicle.
Bus injuries often occur due to systemic issues within government bureaucracies or poorly managed private businesses, such as inadequate training for bus drivers or lack of proper rest, causing exhaustion and subsequent poor decision-making. In many cases, it is evident that profit and efficiency are prioritized over safety.
In California, buses, which fall under the category of “common carriers,” are subject to more stringent safety standards than regular passenger vehicles. Bus drivers are also required to take additional safety precautions for passengers who are elderly or physically impaired.
What Should I Do If I Was Injured By Or On A Bus?
If you suffer an injury while boarding a bus, exiting a bus, onboard a bus, or were injured by a bus as a pedestrian, driver, or passenger in a vehicle, you should immediately do the following:
- Request that the bus driver call an ambulance.
- Obtain an information card from the bus driver, which should include a claim number and/or identifying information for the bus that caused your injuries.
- Contact the entity responsible for operating the bus (typically the City or County in which you were injured) and request all video footage a few minutes before and after your injury from all cameras inside and outside the bus.
- Do not speak to any representatives of the bus operator regarding the details of your injuries, how you were injured, or your medical treatment and future prognosis.
- Contact an attorney experienced in handling bus injury cases.
How Much Time Do I Have To File A Claim After A Bus Injury?
If the bus that caused your injuries was operated by a government entity (i.e. MUNI, BART, the City, County, etc.), you will be subject to the California Tort Claims Act. This Act requires your case to be filed within six months of injury. If your case is against a private company, you will have two years to file a lawsuit from the date of your injury.
Why Should I Choose Ribera Law Firm To Represent Me In My Bus Injury Case?
Ribera Law Firm’s attorneys have the experience and expertise to obtain the greatest amount of compensation for your injuries, which includes compensation for your past and future medical expenses, loss of income and/or earning capacity, as well as past and future pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
Ribera Law Firm’s San Francisco bus injury attorneys recently achieved a $5,500,000 settlement in a severe brain injury case involving an elderly woman who fell on board a MUNI bus. Video footage from the bus demonstrated that the woman was injured because the bus driver failed to look to see if the passenger was seated before the bus driver began to accelerate. The elderly woman’s case was resolved within approximately one year of her injury, due to the fast acting bus injury attorneys at Ribera Law Firm who moved swiftly in obtaining the necessary evidence and petitioned the court for an expedited trial date.
Contact Ribera Law Firm today for a free case analysis.