Bus accidents can be far more severe than ordinary car crashes, and drivers and passengers might be badly hurt. The people responsible for the crash should be held accountable, and an attorney can help you get justice.
Distracted driving, speeding, and aggressive drivers on the road are just a few of the more common causes of bus crashes. The injuries involved in bus accidents are often severe. Brain injuries, broken bones, lacerations, and other painful injuries are possible. You can claim economic and non-economic damages related to the accident, and compensation might be significant. In many cases, the bus driver is the primary defendant, but the bus company might also be held liable. If the bus was a part of public transit, the municipality might be named in your lawsuit.
People are sometimes unsure about taking legal action, but your injuries might be severe, and you deserve justice. Our Gulfport, MS bus accident lawyers can assist you in your fight for just compensation. Speak to our team at Howe Law for a free case review. Call us at (844) 876-4357.
How Bus Accidents Sometimes Happen in Gulfport, MS
Bus accidents can be complicated, and determining how they happened is rarely easy. Often, multiple causes come together to cause the accident. Even so, certain causes tend to be more common, and our Gulfport, MS bus accident attorneys can help you investigate the cause of your crash.
Distracted drivers are a big problem today, especially considering how technology and communication devices pervade our daily lives. If the bus driver was distracted in your case, they might be the predominant contributing factor in the crash. All it takes is a glance down at a cell phone for an accident to occur. If we believe the bus driver was distracted by their phone, we can subpoena phone records and determine if their phone was being used when the accident happened.
Speeding is a major cause of many different accidents, including bus crashes. If speed is not the main cause, it can make the accident far worse. Speeding buses are extremely dangerous because the bus driver likely cannot stop on a dime. If something happened and the bus driver needed to stop quickly, it might not be possible if they were speeding. Speeding buses that suddenly brake are known to crash into other cars or even tip over.
Aggressive driving is always a problem, bus it tends to come up a bit more frequently in certain bus accidents. Drivers are sometimes frustrated when stuck behind buses that make frequent stops, especially when it is difficult or impossible to pass the bus. As such, drivers might become angry and more aggressive. The other driver might recklessly try to pass the bus and end up causing an accident.
Potential Injuries and Damages in Gulfport, MS Bus Accident Cases
Injuries in bus accidents are known to be severe. Not only are buses very large, heavy, and capable of inflicting serious damage, but bus passengers are often unrestrained and might be violently thrown about the bus. Just a few possible injuries in bus accidents include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Broken bones
- Lacerations from broken glass
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Brain damage
- Dismemberment
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Death
When you file your lawsuit, you can claim various damages you incurred. Economic damages are related to money lost because of the crash. For example, your painful injuries likely need medical attention, and high medical bills are par for the course when it comes to bus crashes. Even if you have health insurance to cover the bulk of your medical care, you might still claim high insurance deductibles as part of your economic damages. In addition, people who lose work because of their injuries can claim lost income. If you were driving and your car was damaged or totaled, the cost of repairs or a replacement should be added to your economic damages.
Non-economic damages are also on the table but are somewhat harder to describe. Non-economic damages tend to cover injuries or losses that do not involve monetary loss or value. For example, Physical and emotional pain and suffering are frequently claimed as non-economic damages because these experiences do not come at a financial cost to plaintiffs. Even so, courts can compensate these damages with money. Other possible non-economic damages might include damage to your reputation or humiliation from the accident. Talk to our Gulfport, MS bus accident attorneys about how to assess the damages in your case.
Parties You Can Name in a Lawsuit for a Bus Accident in Gulfport, MS
Bus crashes are rarely simple, and multiple causes and multiple people might play a role in how the crash occurred. Our Gulfport, MS bus accident lawyers can work to determine who caused the accident and how.
The Bus Driver
In many bus accident lawsuits, the bus driver is the primary defendant, as their actions are usually the direct and proximate cause of the accident. For example, if the bus driver was distracted, speeding, or driving recklessly, they can and should be held liable for causing the crash.
The Bus Company
Depending on the unique circumstances of your case, the bus company that hired the bus driver might also be named in your lawsuit. Under the legal doctrine of respondeat superior, employers can be held vicariously liable for an employee’s negligence that occurred within the scope of the employee’s job duties. If this legal theory does not apply, others might. For example, employers might instead be liable under a theory of negligent hiring. Such a theory would apply if the bus driver were incompetent or unfit for the job, and the bus company knew that or reasonably should have known when they hired them.
The City, Town, or Municipality
Buses are not always owned and operated by private companies. In many cases, buses involved in accidents are part of the local public transportation system, and the city, town, or municipality is in charge of the bus and hiring the driver. In such cases, Our Gulfport, MS bus accident attorneys can help you sue the driver and the municipality that runs the public transportation system.
Suing a government entity is trickier than suing a private one, and certain rules and laws add a few hurdles to your lawsuit. For example, under Miss. Code Ann. § 11-46-11(1), we must submit a notice of your claim to the appropriate government entity at least 90 days before commencing the lawsuit. On top of that, your case must begin within 1 year of the accident if you are suing a municipality.
Call Our Gulfport, MS Bus Accident Attorneys for Help Today
If you were in a bus accident, your injuries might be extensive, and covering your expenses might be impossible. Our Gulfport, MS bus accident attorneys can help you file a lawsuit to get your damages covered by those responsible. Contact our team at Howe Law for a free case assessment. Call our offices at (844) 876-4357
