In a bus accident, your life can change before your eyes. If you are seriously injured, you could be left with substantial pain and suffering, not to mention ongoing lost wages and medical expenses related to your accident. Getting the compensation you need often means turning to an experienced attorney for help.
Our lawyers can fight bus companies and drivers, along with their insurance companies and legal teams, to get you the damages you need for your accident. Never accept an insurance payout or an offer to settle without discussing your case and how much it is worth with an experienced attorney first.
For a free review of your bus accident case, call Howe Law’s bus accident attorneys today at (844) 876-4357.
When to Settle a Bus Accident Case vs. Going to Court in Auburn, AL
When you are injured in an auto accident, you might think that insurance is your only option for recovery and that you have to accept whatever damages the insurance company comes up with. In many cases, insurance companies offer only enough to try to end the case quickly and avoid a lawsuit without paying enough to truly compensate you for your injuries and damages. Instead, you might be able to work with a lawyer to negotiate your claim and, if that does not result in a reasonable settlement, take your case to court.
Settling Insurance Claims
When you settle a claim with the insurance company, that functions as a legal settlement as well. In Alabama, we use a “fault” or “tort” system of auto insurance. This means that the at-fault driver’s insurance covers the injuries their driver caused and that, when you settle the claim, you also sign away your rights to further press the case in court. That means that if you accept an insurance payout or settlement offer from the bus company or their insurance company, then your case is over.
It is vital to have our bus accident lawyers review any offers you receive to see if they are adequate. If they are not, we can fight to improve the offer or take your case to court.
Negotiating Insurance Claims
Our lawyers can tell the insurance company that you are rejecting the claim and then begin negotiating the claim to try to get you a better payout. In some cases, we are able to provide our own valuations as to how much your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering are truly worth, pushing insurance companies to settle at a fair value.
Both sides are often typically willing to adjust their values up or down for the sake of settling the case early and avoiding the expense of taking the case to trial. Settling the case is often the best way to get payment without too much delay, but it is always something you should do only after proper negotiations.
Suing for Injuries in a Bus Accident Case
If negotiations are not going the way you want and the insurance company still refuses to improve its settlement offer, then our lawyers can file your case in court. In fault states like Alabama, victims can simply ignore insurance if they want and take the case to court instead. There, the insurance company will still represent the driver and the bus company and pay damages on their behalf, but the official processes of the court system can pressure them to be more forthright and take your claim seriously.
If the insurance company denies their driver’s fault or simply refuses to pay your damages, then the court can force them to do so. If your case goes all the way to trial and you win, then the jury will decide how much your case is worth and order the defendant and their insurance company to pay you.
Going to trial can take a lot longer, and it is more expensive. Nonetheless, our lawyers can often work on a contingency fee basis so that your case costs you nothing up front, and you only pay out of the winnings. Most cases settle before trial – saving time and effort and getting you the compensation you need faster – but this is not a guarantee.
Proving Fault in a Bus Accident in Auburn, AL
Bus drivers are often liable for the crashes they cause. The reason for a bus accident can be similar to the causes in any other auto accident – tired driving, speeding, etc. – but there are other causes that specifically apply to bus accidents.
Traffic Violations
Bus drivers are responsible for following the rules of the road just like any other driver. That means they must avoid drunk driving, speeding, distracted driving, and other illegal mistakes. Failing to signal, running a red light, and tailgating can also be violations that cause bus accidents.
Keep in mind that sometimes the bus driver is also a victim, and the accident could actually be caused by another driver’s traffic violations. If this happened, you can often file your case against the other driver instead of the bus driver and the bus company.
Tired Driving
While any driver is capable of making the mistake of driving while they are too tired to do so safely, this is more likely with bus drivers. Depending on the type of bus in question, bus drivers often work long hours and spend most of their day (or night) behind the wheel. This is more likely to cause accidents when these drivers are overworked and too tired to drive safely.
To combat this, there are state and federal regulations limiting how much driving a bus driver can do at one time, in a given day, and during a workweek. Violations of these rules are often punished strictly and can result in liability in the event of a crash.
Equipment Failure
Buses are large vehicles that spend many thousands of hours and miles on the road. It is vital for bus companies to keep their vehicles in proper working order and to service them frequently. Again, there are also state and federal regulations dealing with bus maintenance and upkeep. Unsafe equipment and violations of these rules can put the bus company at fault for resulting accidents.
Call Our Bus Accident Lawyers in Auburn, AL Today
If you were hurt in an accident, call the bus accident lawyers at Howe Law today at (844) 876-4357 for a free case evaluation.
