CARTA is Chattanooga’s public transit system – the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority. While it is a corporation, it is owned by the government, which can affect how victims get compensation after an accident.
If you were hurt in an accident while riding on a CARTA train or bus, or if you were hit by a CARTA vehicle, you should work with a lawyer for help getting compensation. Our attorneys can file your case and fight to get you compensation for your injuries and other damages after an accident.
For a free case review, call the CARTA accident and injury attorneys at Howe Law at (844) 876-4357.
When is CARTA at Fault for an Accident in Chattanooga?
CARTA operates one rail, the historic Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, but the rest of its services throughout the city are for buses and paratransit vans. Fault is assessed a bit differently on a train, so it is worth discussing these issues separately. CARTA also operates parking garages, which could put them at fault for premises liability injuries and negligent security.
Fault for Rail Accidents
The Incline Railway is primarily a tourist destination, but it is still a functioning part of the CARTA transit system. CARTA can often be found at fault for injuries caused by maintenance issues and safety issues, usually caused by equipment failure. Operator error resulting in a dangerously jerky ride could also be a cause of injury. Otherwise, most injuries will involve dangerous premises, such as wet or dirty train cars or platforms that result in slip and fall injuries.
CARTA is responsible for the upkeep and care of its equipment and premises, and it can often be held liable for unreasonable dangers that injure riders. Similarly, CARTA must train its operators properly, and if their negligence results in an injury, CARTA can be found at fault.
Fault for Bus and Vehicle Accidents
Bus accidents and other vehicle accidents are assessed like other auto accidents when it comes to determining fault. Often, the CARTA driver will be responsible for an accident if they broke a traffic law or were otherwise acting unsafely in a way that caused the crash to occur. Our CARTA accident and injury attorneys can hold CARTA liable for issues like speeding, running red lights and stop signs, or even drunk driving. If a bus driver takes a turn too fast, drives up onto the curb, or otherwise violates other traffic laws or safe-driving principles, we can also seek to hold them responsible.
In most cases, the driver will not be individually responsible; instead, CARTA will take the blame as their employer and as a government-owned entity providing government services.
Fault for Parking Garage Accidents
CARTA’s parking garages can be dangerous places when it comes to slip and fall or trip and fall injuries. Wet or dirty surfaces should be kept in clean, working order to avoid injuries to guests and customers using the lot. Additionally, handrails, staircases, and lighting must be in working order to prevent trip and fall injuries or falls on staircases.
The parking garage owner can also be liable for injuries to customers caused by crime and violence in some cases. Property owners should provide reasonable security on their premises, working to limit access to customers only and keeping the premises well-lit and in line of sight of security guards, CARTA workers, and others. If you were attacked on CARTA property because of negligent security, CARTA might share some of the blame – though the individual who attacked you might be primarily at fault for their intentional actions.
Suing CARTA for Accidents and Injury in Chattanooga
While CARTA might be at fault for accidents, holding them liable can be more complicated because they are a government-owned company. When suing the government, there are restrictions on damages, capping injury payments to $300,000. Nonetheless, the government can be held liable for motor vehicle accidents, as there is a specific law preventing “governmental immunity” from blocking these kinds of lawsuits.
When suing a government entity or a quasi-governmental entity like CARTA, it is important to have a lawyer on your side. CARTA receives millions of dollars in local, state, and federal funding, and its operators want to protect those funds from lawsuits. As such, they will often put up strong legal barriers to lawsuits, all to try to shut down potential claims and keep victims from getting the compensation they should be owed.
In many cases, you might not have to sue CARTA itself, but you could be entitled to compensation from other drivers for bus accidents.
Suing Other Drivers for CARTA Bus Accidents in Chattanooga
If you were injured while riding on a CARTA bus, it does not automatically mean that CARTA is liable. In many bus accident cases, the bus driver is also a victim, and everyone on the bus will have a claim against the driver who hit them.
Our attorneys can help you file insurance claims and lawsuits against the at-fault driver, seeking recovery for medical bills, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and whatever other injuries and property damage you faced because of the accident. Determining the total value of your injury case is difficult to do without help from an attorney, and you should never rely on the insurance companies or the defendant to properly evaluate the cost of your injury case.
In some of these cases, CARTA could share liability. As a passenger on a bus, you usually cannot legally contribute to the accident, but both drivers might have contributed to the crash. In this case, you can hold both CARTA and the other driver liable for their personal degree of fault. For example, if the CARTA driver was speeding and the other driver ran a red light, the court could find CARTA 25% liable and the other driver 75% liable. This would mean CARTA would pay for 25% of your damages and the other driver would pay for the other 75%.
Call Our CARTA Injury Lawyers in Chattanooga, TN Today
For help with an accident case, call our CARTA accident and injury attorneys today at Howe Law by dialing (844) 876-4357.
