Many Alabama residents choose to use buses as transport to get to their jobs, errands, or other places they are going. The vast majority of the time, buses do their thing and get people where they have to go without any problems. Unfortunately, sometimes buses are involved in motor vehicle accidents, and when they do, people can get very badly injured. Bus accidents, in particular, can be prone to injuring multiple people because of the number of passengers a bus can carry. If you were injured in a bus accident, you may be dealing with long-term injuries you need to recover from and expensive medical bills that need to be paid.
Our lawyers are here to help you after a nasty bus crash. We can talk to bus companies, witnesses, and other parties, collect evidence, and have the experience needed to represent you well in court after a bus accident.
To get help with your case, call Howe Law’s Tuscaloosa, AL bus accident lawyers at (844) 876-4357.
Causes of Bus Accidents in Northport, AL
Bus accidents can happen for lots of different reasons. The details of how your bus accident happened and what caused it are very important to our bus accident attorneys because it helps us form a stronger argument that the defendant caused your accident. If we can really nail down the cause of your bus accident, it is harder for the defendant to say that it was not their fault.
Driver Error
One of the more frequent reasons for bus accidents is driver error. When a driver, or anyone else for that matter, makes a mistake that leads to someone else getting hurt, the law calls that being “negligent.” In a personal injury/bus accident lawsuit, you need to prove that the defendant was negligent in order to be successful and get damages. Bus drivers can be negligent in a lot of different ways. For example, speeding, drunk driving, or driving while overly fatigued can be considered bus driver negligence.
Bus Company Error
In some cases, it may be the bus company’s fault that you got injured. One of the frequent reasons that a bus company can be liable for a bus accident is through negligent hiring or training of their drivers. Driving a large bus is a skill that needs to be learned and trained. Accordingly, bus drivers need to have commercial driver’s licenses. Additionally, they need to be trained to drive their vehicles. Sometimes, bus companies are responsible for training their own drivers, while other times, they simply hire people they believe to be qualified. When a bus company hires somebody who does not have a CDL or is not properly trained, say, to cut costs, that is considered “negligent hiring.” If a bus company partook in negligent hiring practices for their drivers, they could be liable for your injuries.
Manufacturing/Design Defects
Sometimes, bus accidents are the result of a problem with the bus. These problems are called “defects” and can happen either in the design process or the manufacturing process. Design defects are “baked in” to the bus and will pop up in a “correctly” built bus when operated as intended. Manufacturing defects, on the other hand, happen when a mistake is made in the design or repair process, which renders the bus dangerous to use. For example, if a mechanic incorrectly installs the brakes so that they do not work well, that would be considered a manufacturing defect.
Poor Road Conditions
Potholes, uncleared debris, and defective guardrails on roads can also lead to bus accidents. In these cases, the entity responsible for maintaining the roads should be included in your lawsuit. This may be a government entity in many cases, so you should speak to our lawyers if you think this applies to your case.
What Damages Can I Get after a Northport, AL Bus Accident?
If you are considering filing a bus accident lawsuit, the goal is probably to get financial compensation in the form of damages. Hefty medical bills and lost opportunity to earn income are serious concerns for many plaintiffs, to say nothing of the myriad of other problems that can result from a bus accident. Accordingly, the court can compensate you for those things in the form of damages. There are three main categories of damages in personal injury/bus accident lawsuits: economic, non-economic, and punitive damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are derived from things that have real-world value. Included in this category are things like hospital bills, medical treatment costs, and other expenses related to medical care. It also covers lost potential income from work. For example, if you missed months of work to recover from your injuries, you can get compensation based on what you would have earned at your job during that time. You can also get damages based on future income that you are not going to get if you can no longer work because of your injuries.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are more abstract than economic damages. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental anguish and distress, and other intangibles that it is hard to put a price on right away. Accordingly, you and our lawyers have to decide what these items are worth to you in your case and then prove to the court that you are entitled to compensation from the defendant for these damages.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are special in that they are not meant to compensate you. Instead, they are based on what the defendant did and to reprimand them for bad conduct. Generally, you have to prove that the defendant was more than just merely negligent to get punitive damages. Moreover, you have to ask for them in your initial complaint, so you should discuss your situation with our attorneys if you are aiming to ask for punitive damages in your case.
Speak to A Northport, AL Bus Accident Attorneys Now
Howe Law’s bus accident lawyers can help you out when you call us at (844) 876-4357.
