Bus Accident Lawyers in Atlanta

A bus company owes its passengers more than an ordinary driver

Georgia holds companies that carry passengers to a higher standard than a regular motorist. Under O.C.G.A. Section 46-9-132, a common carrier must exercise extraordinary diligence to protect the people it transports. That heightened duty applies to sudden stops, unsafe boarding, a driver who is fatigued or distracted, and poorly maintained equipment, and it gives an injured passenger a stronger footing than an insurer will admit. We hold the carrier to that standard rather than letting it treat your injury like a fender bender.

A claim against a public bus has a much shorter fuse

If you were hurt on a MARTA bus, a public school bus, or another government-operated vehicle, the ordinary deadline does not apply. Claims against public entities require an early written ante litem notice, and the window can be as short as six months for a city under O.C.G.A. Section 36-33-5 or twelve months for a state entity under the Georgia Tort Claims Act, O.C.G.A. Section 50-21-26, with transit authorities and school systems carrying their own strict notice rules. Miss that notice and an otherwise strong case can be barred before it starts, which is why identifying who operated the bus is the first thing we do.

Who is responsible depends on what kind of crash it was

Bus cases split into a few patterns, and each points at different defendants. If another driver caused the collision, that driver and the bus operator may both be in play. If the bus driver caused it, the driver and the company that employed and trained them are responsible. If the injury came from a mechanical failure or a hazard on the bus, the maintenance provider or the company's upkeep practices come into focus. We investigate the operator's records, the driver's history, and the vehicle's maintenance to find every source of recovery.

Bus injuries and what a claim can recover

Because passengers are unrestrained and often standing, a bus crash or a hard stop causes falls, head and neck injuries, fractures, and worse. You can recover your economic losses, meaning the medical treatment, the care to come, and the income you miss, and your non-economic losses, meaning the pain and the effect on your daily life. When the harm is serious, the value of the claim rises with it, and a public or commercial carrier usually has meaningful coverage behind it.

Comparative fault rarely lands on a passenger

Responsibility in Georgia is divided among those at fault under O.C.G.A. Section 51-12-33, and anyone found fifty percent or more to blame recovers nothing. A seated or standing passenger is almost never at fault for a bus crash, but insurers still try to find an angle, so we document the driver's actions and the road conditions to keep blame where it belongs and protect your full recovery.

Serving injured bus passengers across metro Atlanta

We handle bus injury claims from our office at 34 Peachtree St NW in downtown Atlanta, and we serve riders and pedestrians hurt across Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Cherokee, Clayton, Forsyth, Douglas, and Henry counties, and in the communities from Buckhead and Midtown to Sandy Springs, Decatur, and Marietta where transit, school, and charter buses run every day.

Talk to an Atlanta bus accident lawyer

Because a bus claim can carry a deadline measured in months, the sooner we look at it the better. Call (678) 293-9307 for a free consultation, or send us a note through our contact page. You pay us nothing unless we recover for you.

Speak with a Atlanta bus accident attorney

Common questions

I was hurt on a MARTA bus. Is a claim against a public transit agency different?

Yes, and the difference matters early. A claim against MARTA or another public operator usually requires a written notice within a short window, often far less than two years, before any lawsuit. Because those deadlines are strict and unforgiving, it is important to have the operator identified and the notice handled quickly.

The bus braked suddenly and I fell, but nothing hit the bus. Do I still have a claim?

Possibly. A carrier owes its passengers extraordinary care, so a sudden or unnecessary hard stop that injures a rider can be the basis for a claim even without a collision. We look at the driver's actions, the reason for the stop, and any onboard camera footage.

Another car hit the bus I was riding. Who do I make a claim against?

You may have a claim against the driver who caused the crash and, depending on the facts, the bus operator as well. As a passenger you did nothing wrong, and we pursue every policy that applies so your recovery is not limited to one insurer.