Countless people utilize buses as their primary method of transportation every day, and countless more will encounter one on the road while driving their own motor vehicle. Almost always, nothing in particular happens involving buses on roads, and that is a good thing; people get where they need to be without much hassle and then go about their day. Unfortunately, every so often, buses will get into accidents. When that happens, serious injuries requiring expensive medical treatment are very often the result.
If you got hurt in a bus collision near Acworth, we can help you. Our office has represented many plaintiffs injured in motor vehicle accidents of all kinds, so we know how to handle bus accident cases professionally and effectively. We will not rest until those who wronged you are held accountable and you get the financial compensation you deserve.
To get a free, no-obligation analysis of your claim, contact the Marietta bus accident attorneys from Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
Who Should You Sue in an Acworth, GA Bus Accident Lawsuit?
A very important thing to figure out early on in the process of a bus accident case is who exactly you are going to sue. This is important because you can only get financial compensation from parties that actually caused your injuries. Therefore, you need to work with our bus accident lawyers to ensure that you are suing the parties that are liable for your injuries.
Bus Drivers
The primary party you may want to look to sue in a bus accident case is the bus driver. After all, they were in control of the vehicle when the accident took place. Bus drivers can get in accidents in all the same ways that ordinary drivers can get in accidents. A bus driver who is speeding, ignoring traffic signs, driving aggressively, or driving while tired, drunk, or under the influence of drugs can easily get into an accident. Additionally, it can take time to learn how to handle a large, heavy bus effectively, even with adequate training, so a less experienced bus driver may make mistakes leading to a collision.
Bus Companies
In a lot of cases, it is also a good idea to file a lawsuit against the bus company employing the driver who hit you. There is a legal principle called “respondeat superior,” – literally “let the master answer,” that allows plaintiffs to hold employers liable for the negligent acts of their employees. The “catch” is that the employee must be doing something related to their job at the time of injury for liability to attach to the employer. For our purposes, if a bus driver was operating their bus when they hit you, they likely were doing something related to their job.
In many cases, bus companies are liable because of negligent hiring practices. This essentially means that the bus company hired drivers they knew, or should have known, were not qualified to drive buses and were likely to get someone hurt. Alternatively, should a bus company claim to train the drivers it hires but fail to do so in reality, that can also incur liability for the bus company if one of those drivers gets in an accident.
Bus Manufacturers and Designers
If an issue with the bus itself caused your accident, you may want to include the bus’s designer or manufacturer in your lawsuit. When a bus has a problem that leads to an accident, the bus is said to be “defective.” Bus defects can either be manufacturing defects or design defects.
Manufacturing defects arise out of mistakes made during the construction of the bus. These are deviations from the intended design that will cause a problem somewhere down the line. An example of a manufacturing defect in a bus would be an incorrectly wired transmission that does not work in a critical moment.
Design defects, by contrast, are issues that are endemic to the bus’s design. In other words, if one builds the bus exactly to specifications, it will still have a problem that will cause an accident in the bus’s ordinary use. An example of a design defect in a bus would be designing the bus in a way that makes it top-heavy and likely to tip over in tight turns.
Government Entities
In some limited circumstances, you may be able to sue the state or local government for your injuries. Usually, this is the case when you allege that a bus accident happened because of dangerous road conditions that the government is responsible for. There are some special rules that our attorneys may need to follow for suing government entities, so you should bring that up early in the process if you think that a government entity may be at fault for your accident.
Damage from Bus Accident Lawsuits in Acworth, GA
If you file a bus accident claim, you do so by seeking damages. Damages are how courts try to get victims back to where they were before they were injured. Of course, the exact nature of any plaintiff’s injuries may make that impossible, so courts will award damages almost exclusively by way of financial compensation.
What you get financial compensation for will depend entirely on the specific facts of your case, but there are some things you can expect to ask for in any bus accident claim. First, bus accident plaintiffs are likely to request damages for medical expenses, as well as expenses relating to an inability to work either temporarily or permanently. Additionally, bus accident plaintiffs may ask for damages for pain and suffering or other things with less immediately identifiable value.
Discuss Your Claim with Our Acworth, GA Bus Accident Lawyers Today
Howe Law has bus accident attorneys ready to give free case reviews when you contact our offices at (844) 876-4357.
