Bus accidents are uniquely complex because they often include numerous potential defendants, serious injuries, and multiple injured victims. Buses are classified as common carriers, which means operators are legally held to the highest degree of care for passenger safety. This is different from the reasonable care standard applied to typical drivers in auto accident cases.
A Charlotte bus accident lawyer can act quickly to establish legal fault and identify all sources of compensation for your injuries. As your hometown legal team, the personal injury attorneys at The Downer Law Firm know local laws and what it takes to pursue fair compensation after a bus crash.
Liability in a bus accident claim depends heavily on whether the bus was privately owned or operated by a government entity. If the accident involves a city bus or a public school bus, claims are governed by the North Carolina Tort Claims Act. For public school bus accidents caused by driver negligence, the claim is typically filed against the applicable local Board of Education or the State of North Carolina. For city-operated transit, the city or the specific government agency overseeing the service can be held liable.
For charter buses, tour buses, or private shuttles, traditional personal injury laws apply. A private company is generally liable for the negligent actions of its drivers performed during the course of their work, such as speeding, driving recklessly, or driving while under the influence. The company may be independently liable for negligent hiring, failure to properly train drivers, or inadequate vehicle maintenance.
Liability may extend beyond the driver and the bus owner, depending on the cause of the crash, including if another motorist’s reckless behavior caused the collision, or if a third-party contractor failed to properly service the bus, leading to a mechanical failure. If poor road design, inadequate signage, or failure to maintain infrastructure contributed to the crash, the agency responsible for the road may be liable too.
Due to the complexity of determining liability, you should reach out to our Charlotte bus crash attorneys, who could investigate the full scope of the events that led to your accident and aggressively pursue justice from the party or parties that owe you compensation.
Injuries from bus collisions can be severe due to the lack of passenger safety features like seatbelts and the massive force involved. Even at low speeds, passengers can suffer concussions or severe traumatic brain injuries. Other common injuries include:
Our bush crash lawyers in Charlotte are skilled at helping victims recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include coverage for measurable financial losses, including past and future medical expenses, lost income, and property damage. Non-economic damages include compensation for intangible losses, such as physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, and permanent disfigurement or scarring.
If you have been injured in a recent bus collision, our attorneys can offer tireless and compassionate legal advocacy at each phase of your case to get you the compensation you deserve. Our Charlotte bus accident lawyers will investigate every possible party to maximize compensation and ensure that secondary liability factors like defective parts or negligent hiring are not overlooked in the case.
We are local and connected to many industry professionals, and our lawyers frequently work with experts to value a client’s long-term needs and can fight to ensure that your compensation claim aligns with the full measure of the past and future harm you experience from your injuries. Reach out online or call us today to schedule your free case evaluation.
