Los Angeles Bus Accident Lawyer

Los Angeles is known as one of the largest cities with some of the worst traffic congestion seen in the United States. In order to combat this, public transportation is meant to serve as a safe and reliable means for all passengers to commute throughout Los Angeles. However, due to a variety of causes, such as a lack of seat belts and a limited number of seats that require many passengers to stand, a bus passenger can easily suffer severe injuries in a bus accident.

There are many types of bus accident claims and they are all notoriously complex. Victims may have to deal with private entities, including bus operating companies, bus owners, insurance companies in the bus and charter industry. However, there are important steps to take after all types of bus accidents to preserve your rights. So if you or a loved one has sustained serious injuries from a bus accident, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your damages.

At West Coast Trial Lawyers, our experienced team of bus accident lawyers have over 20 years of legal experience in handling personal injury claims and delivering satisfying results to our clients. Whether you have been in a bus crash or if your bus driver was negligent in their duties, our bus accident lawyers have seen them all and are confident that they can get you the financial compensation you deserve.

We have recovered over $1.7 billion in financial compensation to our clients and our compassionate team of lawyers are available 24/7 to assist you throughout the entire legal process. So if you need a bus accident lawyer, we are confident that we will get you the maximum compensation that you deserve for your damages.

We run on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you pay no fees until you win. To schedule a FREE consultation, you can get in touch with us by calling us at (213) 927-3700 or by filling out our quick online contact form.

Common Causes of Bus Accidents

Although most bus crashes are complex, there are actually a number of different factors that can result in a bus accident. However, from what is typically seen in Los Angeles, drunk driving, drowsy driving, and distracted driving are the most common cases. So if you are filing a claim with a personal injury lawyer or with a law firm, it is important to understand the different types of causes in order to get a better grasp of your situation.

Distracted Driving

The act of distracted driving is often referred to as any activity that diverts your attention away from the road. As such, activities such as eating, drinking, using your phone, and even talking while driving is considered to be distracted driving. According to the NHTSA’s Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign, it has been recorded that about 8% of all fatal traffic accidents are caused by distracted drivers.

While bus drivers are trained to always be attentive on the road, the possibility of becoming distracted or getting hit by another distracted driver are just as likely. In these cases, the liability will fall onto whoever has caused the accident due to a distracting element.

Drunk Driving

According to a Global Road Safety report conducted by the CDC, 28% of all fatal crashes in the U.S. resulted from drunk driving. While most bus drivers do not drink and drive, most bus accidents occur when other vehicles and drunk drivers are nearby and hit the bus due to its larger size. Any injured passengers who have been hurt in these types of traffic accidents can hold the drunk driver responsible for their actions, however, if the driver of the bus was intoxicated then the bus company can be sued on top of the driver for not preventing such a scenario to occur.

Drowsy Driving

Bus drivers are known to be working long shifts throughout the week and while many try to power through the feeling, a serious bus accident can easily occur when somebody falls asleep behind the wheel. As bus drivers have a greater duty of care to bus passengers, they need to stay awake and alert or else they risk hurting a lot of people and would become liable for all damages and injuries that can occur.

What Are Some Different Types of Bus Accidents?

When it comes to the most common types of bus accidents that can occur, public buses and private tour buses are the most common bus accidents that occur in Los Angeles. As bus accidents can occur at a moment’s notice, it is important that you understand the subtle differences between public and private bus accident cases in order to better understand when you explain your case to personal injury law firms.

Public Transportation Accidents

A public bus is usually operated by a city, county, state, or other type of regional authority. Buses like school buses, transit buses, and other types of local public buses all fit under this category and should you choose to file a claim against a public bus, then you would be suing against a government entity, which involves distinct legal requirements and statutes of limitation. 

If you are filing a claim against a public bus, it is recommended to hire California bus accident lawyers who are very familiar with the court system. As these types of claims must be presented to the government within six months of the accident, it is vital that the bus accident victim make their claim as fast as possible in order to recover damages.

Tour Bus Accidents

California is home to various private bus companies and the city Los Angeles is a hot spot for tourism. As such, tour bus accidents often occur either to the bus driver’s negligence and/or recklessness or due to another driver. 

While the tour bus operator can be held liable for damages if they were responsible for causing the accident, the private bus company can also be held liable for not properly training, supervising, and carefully hiring their applicants. If a private bus gets into an accident due to a mechanical failure, then the liability will not only fall onto the bus company, but the liability can also be placed on the bus manufacturer or the affiliated maintenance company.

Common Bus Accident Injuries

Due to the lack of general safety measures on buses, many bus accidents can inflict a lot of unexpected injuries such as head injuries, spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, and even burn injuries. However, it is important to note that the type injury you suffered will not determine whether you should be compensated, but rather the impact and severity of one. If you suffered another type of injury in a Los Angeles bus accident, you may still have the right to restitution for your damages.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury is defined as forceful impacts to the head and brain and depending on the force of the impact, the severity can vary from minor injuries such as bruises and bumps to concussions and internal brain trauma. 

So if you have been involved in a serious traffic accident, it is highly recommended to seek medical attention, because even minor concussions can have long-term complications if they are not treated properly. With that in mind, any bus accident victim that experiences any symptoms of a traumatic brain injury is eligible for compensation, because the associated costs of a brain injury can become very costly.

Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury is referred to as damage to the back or to the bundle of nerves to the spine. Depending on the severity of the bus accident, back injuries are categorized as either complete or incomplete. A complete injury means that there is a complete severance and damage to spinal cord nerves and there are no signals sent or received from certain sections of the spine to the brain.

Meanwhile, an incomplete spinal cord injury means that there has been partial nerve damage and the signals sent and received from the brain are partially received. These types of injuries can be recoverable, however, they can become a costly medical expense that is sometimes not guaranteed. So if you have sustained a spinal cord injury from a negligent bus driver or by a reckless driver, it is vital that you hire an attorney to recover compensation, because much like brain injuries, the associated costs of a spinal cord injury is just as high.

Internal Injuries

Internal injuries are defined as damage to your internal organs and bones in your body and are typically caused by the sudden force and impact from car and bus accidents. Much like the other injuries, the severity will be dependent on the nature of the accident and injuries can range from broken bones to internal bleeding. Should you emerge from a bus accident appearing to be completely unharmed, it is still recommended to see a doctor just in case, because some internal injuries may progressively become worse as time goes on.

Burn Injuries

One of the more rarer types of bus accident injuries, burn injuries are referred to as skin damage due to a hot or corrosive source. They typically occur either in severe bus accidents where a fire is ignited in the wreckage or if the bus crashes into a container or truck that has a flammable source. 

While burn injuries can range from various degrees from first-degree to fourth-degree, they can potentially cause long-term injuries depending on the placement and severity. So it is important for accident victims to hire an attorney who can help them file a claim and recover damages such as medical bills and lost wages, because burn injuries can have a lasting effect.

How Will CA Shared Fault Laws Impact Your Los Angeles Bus Accident Claim?

If you were partially responsible for an accident, your injury settlement may face a deduction depending on the scale of your part in the accident. California follows a pure comparative negligence system and according to California Civil Code 1431.2, if you are partially responsible for an accident, then a percentage of your total awarded compensation will be subtracted in order to accommodate for the damages you were responsible for.

For example, if you were not wearing a seatbelt when you were struck by a drowsy bus driver and the judge found you 15% at fault for your injuries, then the sum of $100,000 would be reduced by 15%. This is designed to hold you accountable for your actions and give the at fault parties some financial leeway in paying compensation. So if you are unsure what kind of compensation you can earn in a bus accident case, it is recommended to get a dedicated bus accident attorney on your side

What Damages Can You Recover in a Bus Accident Lawsuit?

When someone else’s negligence or misconduct is the cause of your bus accident injuries, you have the right to be compensated for every loss. This means your attorney will need to closely evaluate your economic and non-economic damages to ensure each is taken into account. If you are unsure what these damages are, it is best to familiarize yourself with these terms in order to have a better understanding of what kind of damages you can recover in your case.

Economic

Economic damages are defined as calculable losses from an accident that can be objectively recovered based on their monetary value. This type of damage is designed to compensate victims who have to pay for unexpected costs of being in an accident, because it had drastically affected their life and means of earning income. For example, medical bills, property damages, lost wages, physical therapy expenses, and quality of life adjustments are all things that can be objectively recovered and measured by their costs.

Non-Economic

Non-economic damages are defined as incalculable damages and serve as a form of reparations to compensate a victim for losses that are subjective and difficult to objectively place a monetary value on. For instance, non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of consortium are all things where the extent and depth are going to vary from person to person.

For a victim to seek compensation for these damages, they must suffer some kind of objective loss or traumatic experience that has resulted in non-economic damages. This can range from suffering a traumatic injury that has affected their emotional outlook to experiencing a wrongful death of a loved one.

Punitive

Punitive damages are a form of compensation that is different from economic and non-economic, because it focuses on punishing the party responsible for the accident rather than awarding the injured party. 

This is meant to serve three purposes, the first being to give the victim and their families a sense of justice and closure, the second is to set legal precedence for a future case, and the third is to potentially deter anyone in the future from committing the same type of accident. Although this type of damages is rare to be issued, it is mainly reserved for cases where there has been a clear display of recklessness or ill-intent.

How Long Do You Have to File Your Bus Accident Claim?

Under California law, bus accidents and other types of personal injury claims need to be filed before two years of the incident date. If it is not filed by then, the statute of limitations takes into effect and you automatically waive your right to sue and recover compensation for the accident. 

The only exceptions to this rule is unless the victim is either a minor, in jail, legally insane, living out-of-state, or disabled. Only under such conditions can the statute of limitations be bypassed, so if you are struggling to file your claim, it is recommended to hire a Los Angeles bus accident lawyer to help you with your personal injury case.

What to Do After a Los Angeles Bus Accident

If you have been involved in a Los Angeles bus accident, it is important that you stay calm and assess the situation at hand. If anybody has serious injuries, it is urged to call 911 and have first responders take control of the situation and treat anyone who requires immediate attention. If nobody requires immediate medical attention, the next step is to document the accident scene as much as possible and exchange contact information with everyone involved.

Once you have collected all of the necessary information, you can file a claim with the insurance company and if you are having trouble with your claim, then it is recommended to hire a bus accident attorney so they can help you get a better idea of what to expect from your bus accident claim.

Get Help From A Los Angeles Bus Accident Lawyer

If you have sustained injuries as a result of a bus accident, you have the right to hold the guilty party responsible for their actions. As filing a bus accident claim can be a difficult and frustrating experience especially for those unfamiliar with the legal process, it is important to hire an experienced bus accident lawyer who can help guide you and recover damages for your personal injury case.

At West Coast Trial Lawyers, our team of bus accident lawyers are ready to take on your case and serve as your trusted legal counsel throughout this endeavor. With over 20 years of legal experience, our attorneys specialize in personal injury law and have handled a variety of bus accident cases from bus crashes to a school bus accident. As a result of our due diligence, we are confident that we can get you fair compensation for your damages.

With over $1.7 billion in financial compensation recovered to our clients, we are devoted to serving justice to bus accident victims and are confident that we will deliver results that will satisfy our clients. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your case, our legal team is available 24/7 to answer them in full detail.

We run on a contingency-fee basis, meaning that you pay no fees until you win. To schedule a FREE consultation today, we welcome you to reach out to our 24/7 legal team by calling us at (213) 927-3700 or by completing our easy online contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions About Los Angeles Bus Accidents

Can I Sue for a Bus Crash Involving Public Transportation?

If you were injured in a public bus crash, you can file a claim against the local government branch in charge of the buses in order to receive compensation. However, according to the California Tort Claims Act all initial claims have a deadline of six months, so it is vital that you hire a bus accident lawyer who can help file the paperwork quickly so you can recover any sustained injuries or trauma.

How Long Do I Have to Sue for a Bus Accident in California?

According to section 335.1 of California’s legislation, all personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the incident date. Should you wait to file a claim, you risk having the statute of limitations taking effect and any claims would be dismissed by the courts. So it is important that you file a personal injury claim as soon as possible in order to recover compensation.

Can I File on Behalf of a Family Member Who Was Killed?

If your family member was killed in a bus accident due to the negligence or ill intent of another party then you can definitely file for a wrongful death claim on their behalf. However, it is important to note that wrongful death claims tend to take longer than bus accident claims, but the awarded compensation is significantly higher in order to give the victim’s family closure, justice, and a means to move on from the unfortunate passing.

How Much Will It Cost to Hire a Los Angeles Bus Accident Attorney?

Generally, most bus accident lawyers operate under a contingency system which means that they won’t get paid unless they win or achieve a settlement with opposing counsel. Should they achieve either scenario then they would charge a contingency fee that can range around 25%-40% of your awarded compensation but most tend to average around 33%.