An accident with a city bus is a possibility, whether you are on two feet, two wheels or in a motorized vehicle. City buses are bigger than most other vehicles on the road and their drivers are not always as careful as they should be.
If you have been injured in a bus accident, you should contact a personal injury attorney before making a claim for compensation.
How an Accident Could Happen With a City Bus
It’s hard to avoid a bus anywhere in or around the city. If you are a pedestrian or a cyclist, you are most at risk because even a slight nudge from a bus could send you sprawling and cause serious injuries.
Even the occupants of a larger vehicle are at risk if the accident involves a head on collision or a side collision as could easily happen at an intersection.
Most bus accidents are due to driver error, although more rarely poor bus maintenance or defective parts are the cause.
Damages You Could Claim
When making a claim, you should consider the damages you are claiming for very carefully. These damages are usually divided into economic and non economic damages.
Economic damages consist of medical costs, property damage and lost earnings. These are, or should be, easy to calculate, but it is important to take into account any future bills because of long term injury or permanent disability.
Non economic damages are made up of pain and suffering compensation as well as punitive damages if it can be proven that there was gross negligence involved.
How to Make a Personal Injury Claim
To make a claim against the the city, you should be aware that like other government entities you have a more limited time to file a claim.
In some states, the statute of limitations is 180 days from the date of the injury. That means that you should file the initial claim within 180 days or risk losing any chance of compensation.
This initial claim may be followed by a personal injury claim against the city if the initial claim is rejected or unanswered.
Successful claims depend on solid evidence that negligence caused the injury and detailed documentation of the compensation claimed.
Why You Should Choose a Personal Injury Attorney
Because some public transit systems are government organizations it does complicate the process of obtaining compensation after a genuine injury caused by a negligent bus driver or when it can be proven that city was to blame.
An experienced personal injury attorney can help you with a claim and this legal assistance will mean you are more likely to obtain what you are claiming.
Additional Resources
- How to File a Personal Injury Claim Against Colorado Springs*
- Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Claim
*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 the Metro, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
