Elizabethtown Bus Accident Lawyer

Have You Been Injured in a Bus Accident?

Since buses have far fewer safety features than modern cars (such as seatbelts and airbags), injuries in a bus accident are often severe. The large size of the bus also means that an impact with another vehicle can cause significant damage. Furthermore, although it may seem similar to a car crash, the process for receiving compensation is often quite different. For this reason, it’s critical to find an attorney who has experience handling bus accidents. The legal team at the Fleck Firm will ensure you receive the damages you deserve if you have been injured in a bus accident.

Who Can Be Injured in a Bus Accident?

As well as the riders on the bus, an accident can injure drivers and passengers in other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. All victims are entitled to compensation — and often a large amount. However, bus companies will have attorneys on their side, who will attempt to pay victims of the accident the minimum possible. By having legal counsel yourself, you’ll receive compensation to cover all your losses (past, present, and future) for medical bills, pain and suffering, lost income, and property damage.

Types of Bus Accidents

There are three main types of bus accidents, each of which has different implications for a legal case, including who is at fault, the maximum damages available to you, and how you’ll need to prove liability.

Public Transit Accidents

When a public bus crashes, injuries are often serious due to the large number of passengers, many of whom may be standing. Collisions are particularly traumatic, since passengers may be thrown a distance and collide with each other, the sides or floor of the bus, or the sharp corners of seats. In the worst cases, they could even be thrown from the bus entirely.

School Bus Accidents

Although school buses are safer than cars, accidents do happen. If your child was injured in an accident, you’ll need to bring a case against the public school district or (if the bus is operated by a private company) the bus company.

Long-Distance Bus Accidents

Private bus companies often travel long distances. This prolonged amount of time on the road raises the risk of an accident happening, especially if the same driver is expected to drive the entire route.

What Are the Main Causes of Bus Accidents?

All of the above have a few key causes.

Inexperienced bus drivers may make mistakes that could be disastrous. It is the bus company’s responsibility to make sure that all its drivers are fully trained and competent before they are allowed on the road alone.

In other cases, the bus driver could have been careless while operating the bus. A simple distraction that causes the driver to stop paying attention to the road, such as receiving a text message, changing the radio station, or conversing with a passenger, could be enough to cause a crash. Any of these could mean the driver failed to notice a hazard, such as someone crossing the street or an animal running into the bus’s path. A distraction could also cause the driver to veer into the other lane without noticing, resulting in a collision. Driving while intoxicated is also a possibility. This results in poor judgment, impacted coordination, and a reduced response time. Yet another reason for careless driving could be that the driver was behind schedule and decided to speed to catch up.

Alternatively, the bus driver could have been suffering from fatigue, especially if the company requires its drivers to continue driving for many hours without sufficient breaks. This is particularly likely to be a cause of accidents that occur late in the day. Being fatigued results in slow reaction times and decreased attention — much like driving under the influence.

Finally, the bus company could be at fault if the bus suffered from a mechanical failure due to improper maintenance. If the tires, engine, or brakes were neglected or the bus was not receiving regular safety checks, it could have been impossible for the driver to keep the bus under control.

Receiving Representation for Your Bus Accident

Whatever the specifics of your bus accident, the Fleck Firm can help you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case at our offices in Elizabethtown. We can represent you no matter where your bus accident occurred.

Contact a Lawyer Today

If you need an Elizabethtown Kentucky bus accident lawyer or an attorney for a bus accident anywhere in Kentucky, contact The Fleck Firm today. We are available over the phone 24/7 and you can also click the Contact Us button below to fill out a contact form.