What to Do If You’ve Been in a Bus Accident
When you’ve gotten hurt in a Las Vegas bus accident that wasn’t your fault, you may wonder what steps you need to take to ensure you can pursue compensation for your injuries and losses. After a bus accident, you deserve to focus on treating your injuries to get back to work and everyday life.
However, some steps will put you in a better position to seek compensation in a bus accident claim. Those steps include reporting the crash to the authorities and your insurance company (if applicable), gathering evidence from the accident, and collecting records of your injuries and expenses to document what kinds of compensation you deserve to recover. Finally, remember to contact a bus accident attorney as soon as possible to learn more about your legal options and what steps you need to take to protect your rights to financial recovery.
Is a Bus Accident Like a Truck Accident?
Bus accident claims share many similarities with truck accident cases. As with truck accident claims, injured victims in bus accidents will pursue compensation from the corporation that operated the bus. The bus company may be responsible for compensating accident victims under a theory of employer liability or due to the bus company’s negligence, just like a trucking company might have liability in a truck accident claim. Bus accident cases also involve much of the same evidence as truck accident claims, such as driver hours of service logs, pre-and post-trip inspection reports, and vehicle maintenance records.
Bus accidents can have critical differences from truck accidents. For example, truck accidents may produce unique pieces of evidence like cargo manifests. Truck accidents may also create more complex questions of liability, including whether the at-fault truck driver worked as an independent contractor rather than a team member of the trucking company.
Steps to Take Right After a Bus Accident
Immediately following a bus accident, you should focus on protecting your health and safety and ensuring the appropriate parties are notified about the crash. Steps to take right after getting into a bus accident include:
- Report the crash to law enforcement
- Obtain the bus driver’s license and employer information
- Seek immediate medical attention to get checked for injuries you sustained in the crash
- Collect evidence from the accident scene, such as photos, videos, or witness statements
- If the bus hit your vehicle, notify your insurance company about the accident
Long-Term Steps to Recovery After a Bus Accident
In the weeks and months that follow a bus accident, your efforts should focus on your physical and emotional recovery and preparing to pursue legal claims to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. First, you should continue to follow your healthcare provider’s treatment plan and instructions. Do not defer recommended procedures or rehabilitation. Remember to request copies of your medical records as you complete treatment.
Keep copies of all records of your expenses from the accident, including bills, invoices, and receipts for medical treatment, vehicle repairs, alternative transportation costs, or medical and mobility equipment purchases. Gather your pay stubs or income statements if you take time off work or earn less in a temporary light-duty role so you can calculate your lost wages from the accident.
Start a diary or journal to document your recovery process, including documenting physical pain, emotional distress, or difficulties with daily activities you experience due to your injuries or medical procedures. Keeping a record of your recovery and how your injuries negatively affect your life can help support your claim for compensation for your physical and emotional pain.
Finally, make sure to contact an attorney as soon as possible to discuss your legal options for recovering compensation from an at-fault bus driver or bus company and to learn the next steps you need to take to continue pursuing financial recovery and justice for your injuries and losses.
What Happens If a School Bus Is in an Accident?
When a school bus gets into an accident, everyone will immediately focus on ensuring students get medical treatment for injuries. In the days following a school bus accident, law enforcement and the school district will investigate the crash to determine liability for the accident. Depending on the circumstances, various parties may bear responsibility for the accident and students’ injuries. Potentially liable parties in a school bus accident case can include:
- The school bus driver
- Another motorist was involved in the crash
- The school district, if it employed the school bus driver
- The school bus operator, if the school district contracted a company to provide busing services for students
- The school bus manufacturer
As an arm of the state government, public school districts may have sovereign immunity under certain circumstances. A school district’s immunity may make it difficult for school bus accident victims and their families to recover compensation.
How Can an Attorney Help You After a Bus Accident?
A bus accident attorney can help you recover from injuries you suffered in the crash by handling all aspects of preparing and pursuing legal claims as you focus on treatment and rehabilitation. Let an experienced attorney advocate for your right to financial recovery by:
- Thoroughly investigating the accident to obtain evidence that identifies who caused the accident
- Identifying other liable parties, including other motorists, bus companies, vehicle manufacturers
- Documenting your injuries and calculating your ongoing and future expenses to determine what fair compensation may look like for you
- Communicating with insurance adjusters, investigators, company representatives, or defense lawyers to take stress off your shoulders as you focus on your recovery
- Explain your legal options and advise you on potential case strategies so you have the information you need to make decisions about your case.
- Aggressively pursuing maximum financial recovery through a settlement or by taking your claims to trial if necessary.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Legal Options
After you’ve suffered injuries in a Las Vegas bus accident, get legal help to pursue compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. Contact De Castroverde Personal Injury & Accident today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let’s discuss your steps after getting into a bus accident.