The public transit system in Nashville is WeGo, which provides bus, train, and paratransit service to citizens in and around the city. Call a lawyer immediately if you are injured in an accident with WeGo vehicles or while using WeGo services.
WeGo offers various transportation services. You could be hurt in a bus accident, waiting at a stop, or on a train platform. People with disabilities might also be injured in accidents with WeGo Access. Damages may be high in cases with serious injuries. Medical bills, property damage, lost income, pain, suffering, and more all deserve compensation. In your lawsuit, you can sue the government because WeGo is a publicly operated transit system. However, some additional legal complications come with suing a government entity, and your attorney should be able to assist. Before submitting your claims in court, we need to find strong evidence supporting your claims, so you get full and fair compensation.
Schedule a free review of your claims with our WeGo Public Transit accident and injury lawyers of Howe Law by calling our offices at (844) 876-4357.
Where WeGo Public Transit Accidents Might Occur
An accident involving WeGo might involve numerous modes of transportation around Nashville. WeGo offers transit service options, including buses, trains, and WeGo Access, a paratransit system for people with disabilities. Call a lawyer for assistance if you are injured in an accident with WeGo transportation vehicles or at a location where such vehicles regularly stop.
Buses
Buses are much bigger and heavier than normal vehicles. Because of their size, accidents tend to cause more severe injuries. In a crash, passengers inside the bus might be violently thrown about the vehicle and badly hurt. Risks are especially high when buses are crowded and traffic is heavy, such as during peak commuting hours.
You might also be injured if you are driving your own vehicle or walking down the street. A WeGo bus might strike your car at an intersection because the bus driver failed to stop at the red light. Alternatively, you might be struck by a bus driving too near the curb while picking up or dropping off passengers.
You might also be injured at a park-and-ride location. These are areas where passengers from farther away may drive to, park their vehicles in parking lots, and hop on a WeGo bus to get to the downtown area. If you are hurt by poor conditions in parking lots that are under the care and responsibility of WeGo, you might have a legal claim for damages.
Trains
The WeGo Star train line traverses the east corridor to and from downtown Nashville. The train stops at 7 different stations beginning in Lebanon and ending at the Nashville Riverfront. While serious train accidents are less common, they are still possible.
What is more likely is being injured at a train station or aboard the train because of unsafe conditions. For example, if you need to get up or down a flight of stairs at a train station, but the steps are uneven and in disrepair, you might fall and be badly hurt. In such a case, the local government in charge of WeGo might be responsible.
WeGo Access
WeGo Access is a door-to-door transportation service for passengers with disabilities. WeGo Access vans are wheelchair accessible, and riders must have a personal care attendant with them if they cannot ride alone. Riding one of these vehicles requires a 1-to-7-day reservation in advance.
If you or your loved one was injured while riding a paratransit vehicle, our WeGo Public Transit accident and injury attorneys can help you file a legal claim for damages. These vehicles also contain safety gear and equipment designed for passengers with disabilities. If this equipment fails, passengers might be hurt.
Who to Name in a WeGo Public Transit Accident and Injury Lawsuit
After a collision involving WeGo transportation services, you and an attorney need to determine which parties should be held responsible. While the individual people at the heart of the accident often come to mind first, other entities might also bear some responsibility. You can often sue the WeGo employees who caused the accident and the government, since WeGo is a public entity.
Individuals
Depending on how your accident occurred, there might be numerous individuals who should be held accountable. After being hurt in a bus accident, you might want to hold the bus driver liable for their negligence. For example, if the bus driver was texting while driving or committed serious traffic violations before the accident, they should be held liable for your injuries.
The same can be said for accidents involving trains or paratransit. People operating these vehicles owe a tremendous duty of care to passengers to be as safe as possible under the circumstances. Violations of this duty may lead to accidents, and people might be hurt.
WeGo Public Transit
We can also help you sue the government for injuries related to WeGo accidents. WeGo is a public transportation system under the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority. As an arm or extension of the local government, the government may bear some responsibility in case of an accident.
Suing the government is difficult because it often has sovereign immunity from civil liability. However, the law carves out specific exceptions where the government is not immune to liability.
Finding Evidence to Support Your Claims in a WeGo Public Transit Accident Case
Evidence of a crash with WeGo can be difficult to obtain in certain cases. It is best to speak with a lawyer about your claims as quickly as possible, as they may have the skills and experience to find valuable evidence.
A good way to start our search for evidence is to check for security camera footage. Security cameras monitor many public transit vehicles, stations, and platforms. There is a chance that your accident was recorded, and the video may shed light on who is responsible.
Depending on the situation, we might want to check police reports for other possible evidence. For example, if you were involved in a bus crash, the police would likely respond to the scene. They might have issued traffic citations to the driver or found signs that the driver was intoxicated. While police reports are often inadmissible as evidence, they may lead us to admissible evidence.
Call Our WeGo Public Transit Accident and Injury Attorneys
Schedule a free review of your claims with our WeGo Public Transit accident and injury lawyers at Howe Law by calling our offices at (844) 876-4357.