California Bus Accident Lawyer

Bus Accidents Can Involve Passengers and Other Road Users

Bus accidents are not limited to collisions between a bus and another vehicle. A passenger may be injured when a bus crashes, stops suddenly, accelerates unexpectedly, or makes another movement that causes the person to fall. Injuries can also occur while boarding or exiting, depending on what happened.

Pedestrians and cyclists may be particularly vulnerable when they are struck by a large transit vehicle. Motorists and motorcycle riders can also suffer serious injuries when a bus enters their lane, makes an unsafe turn, rear-ends another vehicle, or becomes involved in an intersection collision.

Understanding how the accident happened is an important first step because the type of accident can affect liability, available evidence, insurance, and whether special procedures apply.

Who May Be Liable for a California Bus Accident?

Responsibility may involve more than the individual bus driver. Depending on the circumstances, potentially responsible parties can include a public transit agency, city or county, private bus company, school district, charter company, tour operator, shuttle business, maintenance provider, vehicle owner, another motorist, or another party whose actions contributed to the accident.

For example, one case may involve an unsafe driving decision by the bus operator. Another may involve inadequate maintenance, mechanical problems, or another vehicle that caused the bus driver to react suddenly. Some crashes can involve several potentially responsible parties at the same time.

Identifying the correct parties is especially important in bus cases because California Courts notes that injury cases can involve the person who caused the harm, a vehicle owner, or an employer when the responsible person was working.

Learn more about who may be liable in a California bus accident.

Public Transit and Government Bus Accident Claims

One of the biggest differences between bus accidents and ordinary car crashes is the potential involvement of a government entity.

City buses and other public transit services may be operated by cities, counties, transit districts, or other public agencies. California Courts specifically identifies bus and light-rail agencies among examples of government entities that can be subject to special claim procedures.

Before certain injury lawsuits can be filed against a government agency, an administrative claim generally must first be presented to that agency. For personal injury matters, California Courts states that this preliminary claim is generally due within six months of the injury, subject to exceptions.

This makes identifying whether a public entity is involved particularly important after a bus accident. A person should not assume that an accident involving a city bus follows the same procedure as a collision involving a privately operated charter bus.

Read more about city bus accidents and public transit injury claims in California.

City Buses, School Buses, Charter Buses, and Shuttles

Different types of buses can create different liability and insurance questions.

A city bus accident may involve a government transit agency and special claim procedures. A school bus may be operated by a public school district or a private transportation company, making it important to determine who actually operated and controlled the vehicle.

Charter and tour buses may be privately operated commercial vehicles carrying passengers for trips, events, tourism, or longer-distance transportation. Shuttle accidents can involve hotels, airports, parking facilities, medical facilities, businesses, or other transportation providers.

Because the operator can change the insurance and procedural issues, identifying the exact bus, company, agency, and trip involved should be part of the investigation.

Learn more about school bus accident claims in California and tour bus and charter bus accidents.

Common Injuries in California Bus Accidents

Bus crashes can cause injuries both to people inside the vehicle and to those struck by it.

Passengers may be thrown forward, sideways, or from their seats during a collision or sudden movement. Standing passengers can fall into seats, railings, the floor, or other passengers. People outside the bus may experience much greater impact forces when struck by a large vehicle.

Potential injuries include traumatic brain injuries, concussions, facial injuries, fractures, shoulder injuries, neck and back trauma, spinal injuries, hip and knee injuries, internal injuries, cuts, and other conditions requiring medical treatment.

Some people may require surgery, rehabilitation, physical therapy, or future medical care. California Courts identifies medical bills, lost wages, ongoing treatment, emotional harm, and future injury-related problems among potential losses in personal injury cases.

Learn more about common injuries in California bus accident cases and DAG Law Firm’s brain injury practice.

Evidence That May Help a Bus Accident Claim

Bus accident cases can involve valuable evidence beyond ordinary accident photographs.

Potential evidence may include interior or exterior bus-camera footage, traffic cameras, surveillance video, witness statements, police or agency reports, bus identification information, fare or trip records, vehicle damage, maintenance information, and medical documentation.

For passengers, a transit card record, fare receipt, ticket, reservation, or other trip information may help establish the particular vehicle and route involved. For charter or tour buses, booking information may serve a similar purpose.

California Courts advises people pursuing personal injury matters to preserve evidence such as photographs, medical records or bills, witness statements, and police reports.

Read more about evidence that may help a California bus accident claim.

What to Do After a California Bus Accident

After a serious bus accident, immediate medical needs and safety should come first. When circumstances allow, it may also be helpful to identify the bus or transit agency, report the incident, photograph the scene, obtain witness information, and preserve tickets, fare records, trip confirmations, or other documents connecting the injured person to the bus.

If another vehicle was involved, photographs and identifying information for that vehicle may also be important. Passengers injured by sudden movement should document what happened even when the bus did not collide with another vehicle.

Medical records, employment documentation, accident-related expenses, and communications with transportation companies or government agencies may later help show how the accident affected the injured person. California Courts recognizes medical expenses, lost wages, ongoing treatment, and other injury-related losses as potential components of personal injury damages.

Read our complete guide on what to do after a bus accident in California.

How Much Is a California Bus Accident Case Worth?

There is no reliable average settlement for a California bus accident.

Potential case value can depend on injury severity, medical treatment, surgery, future care, lost income, reduced earning ability, permanent limitations, emotional effects, strength of the liability evidence, available insurance, and the number of responsible parties.

A passenger who recovers after limited treatment may have a very different case from someone who suffers a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, spinal trauma, or permanent disability. A pedestrian or cyclist struck by a bus may also suffer particularly severe injuries because of the size and weight difference between the person and the vehicle.

California Courts identifies medical expenses, lost wages, continuing treatment, emotional harm, and future injury-related problems as potential personal injury losses.

Read more about how much a California bus accident case may be worth.

Bus Accident Deadlines and Why Public Agency Timing Matters

California bus accident deadlines can depend heavily on whether the vehicle was publicly or privately operated.

California Courts states that ordinary personal injury lawsuits generally have a two-year filing framework, while claims against government agencies have shorter preliminary requirements. For qualifying personal injury claims involving a government entity, the administrative claim is generally due within six months of the injury. The agency generally has 45 days to respond, and if it formally rejects the claim, another six-month period generally applies for filing the lawsuit. Exceptions and different circumstances can affect these timelines.

That makes it particularly important to determine whether the bus was operated by a city, county, transit district, school district, or another public agency.

Even apart from legal deadlines, bus video, witnesses, vehicle evidence, and maintenance records may become harder to locate with time.

Read more about how long you may have to file a bus accident claim in California.

California Bus Accident Resources and How DAG Law Firm Can Help

DAG Law Firm’s California bus accident resources provide deeper information about many of the issues passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and families may encounter following a serious bus collision.

You can learn more about what to do after a bus accident, who may be liable for a bus accident, how much a bus accident case may be worth, common bus accident injuries, city bus and public transit accidents, school bus accident claims, tour and charter bus accidents, evidence that may help a bus accident claim, and California bus accident claim deadlines.

DAG Law Firm, APC represents people injured in serious bus accidents throughout California. We can review how the accident occurred, identify the bus company or public agency, evaluate available video and other evidence, investigate potentially responsible parties, and examine the medical, insurance, and financial issues connected to the collision.

Whether the accident involved a city bus, public transit agency, school bus, charter company, tour bus, shuttle, injured passenger, pedestrian, or cyclist, identifying the correct operator and preserving evidence can be especially important.

You do not pay attorney fees unless we win your case. There are no upfront attorney fees for qualifying bus accident matters handled on a contingency fee basis.

Call (323) 930-2020 or contact DAG Law Firm today to discuss your situation.