Bus Accident Lawyer in Palm Coast, FL
Commercial and public buses pose a high risk of injury to people if they get into accidents. Because of the size of a bus and the potential number of people involved, a bus accident can lead to numerous serious injuries or fatal injuries.
Anyone injured in a bus accident will find that pursuing injury claims to cover their medical bills and other losses can be extremely complex. Claims against public transportation agencies, like Volusia County’s Votran bus system, require specific procedures meant to protect local governments from claims.
If you have been injured in an accident on a bus or at a bus station in Florida, you should have an experienced attorney review the accident and your legal rights. People who suffer injuries caused by a bus driver or a bus agency’s negligence or recklessness may seek full compensation for their injuries.
The experienced bus accident lawyers at Chiumento Law, PLLC, can help you pursue full compensation for your medical expenses and other losses from Flagler County Public Transportation, Votran, school bus operators, Greyhound, public and private charter buses, or others operating on Florida’s Palm Coast.
The attorneys at Chiumento Law, PLLC, have successfully represented accident victims for nearly 50 years. Our Palm Coast bus accident lawyers understand how bus accidents happen and how to hold public transportation agencies and private companies accountable.
We help bus accident victims and their families in Flagler County, Volusia County – including Ormond Beach – and throughout Florida seek compensation for injuries and the devastating effects of bus accidents caused by others’ negligence.
Types of Bus Accidents We Handle
A bus accident in traffic may cause injuries among bus passengers, motorists, passengers in other vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists. At a bus station, people may be injured because of negligent maintenance or security of the premises.
There are several common types of bus accidents, any of which may cause serious injury or death. Our team investigates personal injury and wrongful death claims regarding:
- Collisions in traffic involving a bus
- Bus rollover accidents
- Bus accidents caused by distracted or impaired drivers
- Bus accidents caused by mechanical failures
- Bus accidents caused by faulty road design or maintenance
- Bus accidents in road work zones
- Falls onboard a bus caused by abrupt stops and starts
- Slip and fall accidents at bus stations
- Assaults due to inadequate security at bus stations
Who Can Be Held Responsible After a Bus Accident?
After investigating a bus accident to determine who was responsible for the crash, it is possible that we would find that multiple parties share legal responsibility and financial liability. We could file one or more legal claims on your behalf against a:
- Bus driver. Most bus accidents are caused by driver negligence. A bus driver may cause a collision or get into a single-vehicle accident. Passengers who are boarding or leaving the bus or on the bus may fall because a negligent driver allows the bus to lurch, hits a curb, or rounds a turn too fast. Two common causes of bus accidents are distracted driving and, particularly in interstate bus transportation, fatigued driving.
- Bus company or agency. The company or agency that owns and operates the bus would be a part of almost any bus accident claim based on an issue involving the bus driver or the bus. Employers of professional drivers are responsible for their employee’s actions while on the job. The company or agency is also responsible for putting safe vehicles on the road. It is likely that the bus company or agency would be found liable for accidents at a bus station.
- Another driver. If the driver of a car, truck, or motorcycle contributes to a bus accident, the at-fault driver may be legally compelled to compensate bus passengers or others injured in the crash.
- Third-party service vendors. A firm hired to maintain a bus fleet, hire (and/or drug- and alcohol-test) qualified drivers, or otherwise manage a part of the bus service could be liable for an accident if their negligence was a contributing factor. For example, if contracted mechanics failed to meet maintenance schedules or performed inferior work and this contributed to the accident, they may be held liable.
- Manufacturers and retailers. If the failure of a defective product – brakes, tires, steering systems, etc. – led to a bus accident, this would be cause for a product liability claim.
Dozens of people may be injured in a bus accident. A single crash can lead to multiple bus accident lawsuits, potentially against several parties. This can lead to a lot of finger-pointing as each defendant and their insurance company works to shift blame and avoid liability for the accident.
Lawsuits Against Public Transportation Agencies
Legal claims against governments that operate public transportation systems or school buses must meet tight deadlines and strict notification requirements. This is because of the longstanding concept of sovereign immunity, which says state governments cannot be sued. Like other states, Florida has waived sovereign immunity in some cases but allows the state government and other jurisdictions to erect some barriers to lawsuits.
In a claim against a governmental agency in Florida, you must first file a pre-suit notice with the responsible agency of a pending claim within a certain time limit and give the agency a chance to resolve the issue. If the agency’s response is inadequate and you file a lawsuit:
- Employees of the state of Florida cannot be held personally liable unless their negligence was intentional (acted in bad faith.
- Compensation is limited to $200,000 against one government agency or $300,000 against multiple government agencies. If a plaintiff believes they deserve more, there is a complicated process for petitioning the Florida legislature for additional damages.
There are also several other minor limitations and restrictions on claims against governmental agencies in Florida that make a case more complicated.
Contact Our Palm Coast Bus Accident Lawyers
If you have been injured in an accident that involved a local transportation agency bus, school bus, tour bus, or interstate passenger bus, contact our bus accident lawyers at Chiumento Law, PLLC, as soon as possible to discuss whether you have a valid bus accident claim.
When you work with our firm, you can be confident that we will thoroughly investigate the bus accident that injured you and the full extent of your losses. Call us now at (386) 445-8900 or fill out our online contact form for a free, no-obligation legal consultation.