If you have been hit by a bus you may decide to file for damages if your vehicle was damaged and you have suffered any injuries. You will need to be sure who to blame, that is was it the driver’s fault or was it the company itself? A personal injury lawyer can help you aim your clam in the right direction.
Determining Liability in a Bus Accident
You cannot just file a claim for compensation without making it certain who you are accusing of negligence. In most cases it will be the bus driver, but not always.
There is a minority of accidents that are caused by poor maintenance and / or defective parts that cannot be blamed on the driver. There are also a number of bus accidents that have been caused by another driver altogether.
The bus driver may have been simply trying to avoid being hit but was forced into hitting your vehicle as a result of taking other evasive action. It is important to have a full picture of what went wrong immediately before your accident so that you can aim a personal injury claim at the right party.
Some accident claims, although a small minority, can be quite complex. There may be more than one party that shares some degree of fault in a crash. Both the company and a bus driver might be equally at fault, or the bus driver and another driver altogether.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim After a Bus Accident
As has just been discussed, you must be able to pinpoint who was to blame after a bus accident. You must also have proof of negligence, i.e. be able to show that the bus driver, or another party, was to blame for damage to your vehicle and injuries you have sustained.
Proof can be in the form of eye witness statements or testimony, photographic evidence, other crash scene forensic data, a police report and a report from whoever repaired your car or at least examined the damage to it. Proof of negligence by itself is not enough to accompany a personal injury claim.
You will need to show justification for the amount you are claiming. This can include a doctor’s report, bills, receipts and invoices showing how much it has cost you and a letter or confirmation from your employer to show what you have lost in earnings. Your lawyer can help you with providing a justification for claiming a pain and suffering payment, something which is not quite as clear cut.
How a PI Lawyer Can Help You Win Your Claim
It is advisable to seek legal help from an experienced personal injury lawyer rather than battle with its insurers all by yourself. Most PI lawyers will provide a free consultation and will absorb the legal fees due for their assistance into the settlement amount.
You are unlikely to have to pay for legal help unless the claim is won on your behalf. To get your claim started, complete the Free Case Evaluation on this page.
*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Greyhound, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
