Bus drivers and the companies they work for are often responsible for bus accidents. If you have been hit by a bus or injured while riding a bus, then you may be entitled to substantial financial compensation for the injuries and economic damages you suffered, and you should contact a lawyer to pursue those damages and hold these parties accountable to the full extent of the law.
Our attorneys can fight to obtain compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and other damages related to your accident, including pain and suffering damages. Relying on the insurance company or the bus company to have your best interests in mind usually means receiving only a pittance of a settlement, if anything.
For help, call our bus accident lawyers at Howe Law today at (844) 876-4357.
How to Deal with Insurance and Bus Companies After a Crash in Statesboro, GA
If you have been injured in a bus accident, you will likely be in contact with representatives from the bus company and their insurance companies. In any case, you should avoid communicating with these entities directly and instead have your lawyer talk to them. These companies will do what they can to try to get you to admit that your injuries were not that bad. If you were driving another car, riding a bike, or walking on foot when you were hit by a bus, these companies might even try to get you to admit that you were at fault.
Always call our bus accident lawyers before trying to communicate with these entities, and never admit anything or sign any documents from these companies without reviewing them with your attorneys. They may try to give you money for your injuries and have you sign documents accepting these funds, which could function as a settlement that blocks you from being able to sue for further damages.
These companies do not work for you, and they do not have your best interests in mind. Instead, get a lawyer. Our lawyers, should you accept our services, will be bound by laws and ethics rules to advocate for your best interests and work with you on getting you the compensation you deserve rather than trying to end cases with a quick settlement like the insurance company or bus company will try to do.
Bus Company vs. Bus Driver Negligence in Statesboro, GA Bus Accidents
Companies are made up of the individuals who work for those companies, but they are also a separate entity. If a bus driver causes an accident while working as a bus company employee, that crash is something that the bus company as a whole should be responsible for. Similarly, the bus company might have made decisions through its managers and administrators that affect bus driver safety or the safety of the vehicles themselves. The bus company should be liable for these issues. This creates two different ways you can hold bus companies responsible for crashes:
Vicarious Liability
As mentioned, when a bus driver causes a bus crash, the bus company is often liable. Bus drivers are individuals, and they could be held responsible for their individual actions. However, when they are driving for a bus company, that accident is part of their job, and the bus company can be held “vicariously liable” in their place.
What this means is that as long as the accident happened while the driver was working within the scope of their job duties as a bus driver, the bus company should pay damages instead of the individual driver. Our lawyers can use this kind of vicarious liability rule – known as “respondeat superior” – to potentially seek higher damages that the individual driver would not have been able to afford to pay you, especially given that a bus accident could involve expensive compensation to dozens of injured victims.
Direct Liability
Bus companies can also be held directly responsible for the things they do and the decisions they make that contribute to the crash. The bus company hires and fires drivers, so any negligence in the hiring process – such as failing to run a proper background check – should be their fault. They are also responsible for keeping a dangerous bus driver on staff if they have previous issues of malfeasance, accidents, or drunk driving on record.
The bus company also typically owns the buses themselves and should be liable for any maintenance or mechanical issues that cause a crash. In these cases, the bus driver might be as much of a victim as anyone, and all victims should be entitled to make a claim or file a lawsuit against the bus company for injuries.
Do You File an Insurance Claim or Lawsuit for Injuries in a Bus Accident in Statesboro, GA?
Generally, all drivers are required to carry insurance that covers the injuries they cause while driving. This means that under Georgia’s fault-based insurance system, you would file your claim against whichever driver caused your crash. However, there are usually no requirements to use insurance, and you could be entitled to sue for injuries instead.
If you were riding in a bus when you were hurt, the bus company should have quite substantial insurance that might be able to cover your injuries in full. Especially if there were not too many injuries or the bus was mostly empty when the accident happened, this insurance could have high-dollar coverage divided among only a few injury victims, and you might be able to get most of your damages paid through this insurance. However, talk to a lawyer to make sure the damages you are offered are enough, as insurance companies and bus companies will often try to leave off or discount certain damages.
If there is not enough coverage there or you were injured while in another car or walking on foot, then you might want to pursue a lawsuit against the bus company. In these cases, your injuries might be more severe, and the bus company’s insurance might be insufficient to cover your injuries. Additionally, they might be reluctant to admit fault or submit to any settlements without putting up a fight in court. In these situations, we might even need to take the case before a jury to get you full damages.
Contact Our Bus Accident Injury Attorneys Today
Call (844) 876-4357 today for a free case evaluation with Howe Law’s bus accident attorneys.
