San Diego Bus Accident Lawyer
Buses, vehicles designed to transport 9 or more people including the driver, are a preferred transport choice for some residents of San Diego. Even though transit, intercity, and school buses are considered a safe means of transportation, accidents do sometimes involve these vehicles. And when a bus is involved in an accident, the number of casualties can be high because of the high number of passengers.
This is why bus accidents in California tend to make the news. In the average year, over 900 bus crashes occur in the State of California, with over 700 injuries resulting from the accident. That’s a huge number considering that these vehicles are meant to be considerably safer than passenger cars.
If you have been injured in a bus accident in the city of San Diego and are considering filing a compensation claim, you need the help of an experienced San Diego bus accident lawyer. Bus accident cases are often more complex than the typical car accident case. So if you want to win, you’ll need the experience and skills of San Diego bus attorneys at Harker Injury Law.
Click here to contact Harker Injury Law today and discuss your case for free.
Why You Should Talk to a San Diego Bus Accident Lawyer First
The first thing you need to do after getting in a bus accident is simple: Get medical help. Once you’re stabilized, you should then get in touch with a San Diego personal injury lawyer who handles bus accidents to pursue a compensation claim for your pains, injuries, suffering, loss of income, and other damages.
Not all personal injury lawyers in San Diego can take on bus accidents. It takes an experienced and skilled personal injury lawyer who knows bus accidents to help you win your case and get the benefits you deserve.
Experienced San Diego bus accident attorney, Bronson Harker, ESQ, of Harker Injury Law, understands the complexities of bus accident cases and knows how to get you a fair settlement. Harker Injury Law has helped residents of San Diego and the greater Southern California area secure adequate compensation for injuries sustained in bus accidents.
Harker Injury Law provides practical legal advice and effective legal representation while being committed to getting you results; we are also willing to go to trial if the step becomes necessary. If you’d like to talk to us about your options, fill the form here to have us call you, or call 760-INJURED for a free consultation with one of our personal injury attorneys.
Liability in Bus Accident Cases in San Diego, CA
In California, the process of proving liability in a bus accident case is often different from that of a car accident. In the average car accident case in California, all you have to prove is where the fault lies.
Bus accidents, on the other hand, are not so straightforward. Proving liability and determining the responsible party largely depends on whether you’re dealing with a private or public bus company. For instance, if you were a passenger in a transit bus that was involved in an accident within city limits, the responsible party to hold liable is the state.
However, if you were a passenger on the bus of a well-known motorcoach or bus company such as Greyhound, you may need to file your compensation claims with the bus company’s insurance provider. Some shuttle or charter buses within San Diego are also privately-owned, which means they tend to carry multimillion-dollar liability insurance policies.
You’d think that carrying these policies means that the liable bus company will get their insurance company to pay the max amount possible. The opposite is often the case, as insurance companies tend to pay you the lowest amount possible.
Everything changes when you have help. You need a San Diego personal injury lawyer who is experienced in bus accident cases to make sure that you are paid what you deserve. If you do not have the Harker Injury Law team on your side, recovering your compensation will not only be a difficult, prolonged process, but you may also lose out on receiving adequate compensation.
If getting the maximum compensation amount possible is important to you, come talk to us at Harker Injury Law today. Call us at 760-INJURED to schedule a free case evaluation. If you want someone from our law firm to call you, please click here to request a free callback.
Why San Diego Bus Accidents Are Dangerous
Buses come in various sizes, but even the smaller-sized ones weigh more than the average passenger vehicle. This size, combined with the number of passengers conveyed at the time, further increases the casualty rate in bus accidents.
Not just that, but the majority of these vehicles lack seatbelts — with the exception of the California school bus. Where there are seat belts, though, most bus drivers do not mandate seat belt usage — at least, not for passengers in the back.
This lack of seat-belt usage further increases the odds of passengers being severely injured. Also, because the average bus can carry more than 9 people, there’s the additional risk of trapped victims being unable to get out of the vehicle on time because of other trapped passengers.
These motor coaches are also built with stronger materials, which help support the weight and load that they carry. This is why, when there’s a collision between buses and passenger cars, the passenger car suffers more damage than the bus.
For example, when there’s a head-on collision between buses — which are considered common carriers— and other vehicles, the smaller vehicle is usually crumpled more than the bus. In many instances, the bus only has some damage to the front, while the passenger vehicle may have the front and back sections damaged from the crash.
All common carriers are generally strong and can travel at relatively high speeds. When you combine these with multiple passengers and high speeds, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Bus accidents are often devastating and fatal for the above reasons. If you or a loved one has sustained some form of personal injury from a bus accident and you need more information about what to do, you must speak to a skilled bus accident attorney about your options.
Questions That Experienced San Diego Bus Accident Lawyers Consider
Before the experienced lawyers at Harker Injury Law can pursue your claim or go to trial, there are a few things to consider. We have to look at every angle in order to approach your case correctly.
For example, some of the questions we ask include:
- Was the client a passenger on the bus or an occupant of another vehicle that was hit by the bus?
- Did the client have the right-of-way?
- Who or what caused the crash?
- When did the accident occur and is there evidence?
These are just some of the questions an experienced San Diego bus accident attorney would consider. Most lawyers who are unfamiliar with bus crash cases don’t know this, but our lawyers do. We have both the knowledge and the experience that will make a difference for you.
If you want more information on how we can recover your money, please get in touch with our law firm. Contact Harker Injury Law today at 760-INJURED to discuss your case with a skilled lawyer.
Common Causes of Bus Injuries in San Diego, California
Every year, there are about 63,000 buses involved in collisions throughout the United States, including school bus accidents. These accidents result in about 14,000 non-fatal injuries and 325 deaths. Even though these numbers pale in comparison to other motor vehicle accidents, the reality is the numbers are still high.
One personal injury or fatality is one too many, particularly when you consider that buses are meant to be one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States. The unfortunate thing about bus accidents is that they are largely preventable. If the average bus driver or other road users simply paid better attention or took more precautions, many accidents could be prevented.
The common causes of bus accidents in San Diego, California, include:
- Negligence or carelessness
- Bus driver fatigue
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of alcohol, medications, illicit drugs, or opioids
- Densely populated location with little or no space to allow the bus maneuver
- Bad roads
- Poor weather conditions
- California’s fires resulting in poor visibility
- Bus driver swerving suddenly to avoid unforeseen obstacles, animals, or other road users
- Excessive speeding
- Other road users staying in the bus driver’s blindspot
- Failed brakes, mechanical problems, or malfunctioning parts
- Inadequate bus driver experience
- Driver error
All these factors and more can cause an accident leading to severe injuries and deaths. Pursuing compensation claims is a difficult task — one you shouldn’t take on by yourself. You or your loved one should be recuperating from your personal injury. Let experienced San Diego bus accident attorney Bronson Harker and his team help you recover your benefits or settlement today.
Contact us at 760-INJURED for a free consultation with one of Harker Injury Law’s bus accident lawyers in San Diego.
Types of Bus Accidents in San Diego
As bus accident attorneys in San Diego, it is important for us to clearly identify the type of bus accident you were involved in. This will form the basis of your case when we pursue your claim or go to trial on your behalf.
Some common types of bus crashes include:
- Collision with stationary objects
- Bus veering off the road
- Crashing into another moving vehicle
- Passenger getting hurt by other road users when the passenger is alighting from the bus
- Driver moving when the passenger hasn’t fully debussed
The bulk of bus crashes in California involve buses used for public transportation or mass transit buses. Others include school, tour, private charter, and private buses.
If you have been injured in one of these bus-types, our attorneys may be able to help. We will look at your specific situation, examine the information you provide, and give you legal advice based on our previous experience with injury cases.
Why You Should Hire Harker Injury Law in San Diego
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus crash, it is important to consult an experienced attorney. The reality is that bus accident cases are complex and typically take time to get resolved.
The attorneys at Harker Injury Law are committed to filing your claim on time and securing your benefits. Our lawyers are trained to treat clients with respect and are sympathetic to our clients’ needs. What’s more, we have an open communication policy so you can reach us at any time, day or night.
Our attorneys are proud to have helped clients pursue compensation, provided insightful legal advice, and won different kinds of bus accident trial cases. Regarding each case, we keep the attorney-client relationship our priority and treat every client like family. To us, you’re a real human being in pain; not just some case-file that’s assigned to an available attorney.
We have recovered millions in settlements for clients and can do the same for you. If you are looking for experienced lawyers who value the attorney-client relationship, are committed to fighting for you if your case goes to trial, and are dedicated to getting the maximum amount for you, you should get in touch with us at Harker Injury Law.
For more information, call us at 760-INJURED for a free initial consultation, or fill this form to request a callback from one of our skilled lawyers.
