The injuries suffered from a bus accident can be more extensive than a typical auto accident. They can leave you with extensive medical bills and no way to pay for them. While this situation can leave anyone feeling hopeless, you may have options to recover compensation.
You may be eligible to recover compensation from a bus company or another liable party if you suffered injuries in a Palm Bay bus accident. However, the process can be challenging. A bus accident lawyer in Palm Bay, FL can help.
Call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine at 1-800-747-3733 today.
Types of Damages You Can Recover After a Palm Bay Bus Accident
If another entity such as the government or a third-party driver was responsible for your bus accident, we may be able to help you recover the following damages:
- Current medical costs
- Expected future medical costs
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
- Lost employment benefits
- Pain and suffering
Understanding the Role of Negligence
In addition to establishing who was at fault for the bus accident, we must prove that negligence occurred. A bus driver has an increased sense of duty because buses are “common carriers.” They must uphold a higher duty of care and complete extensive training to keep passengers and other road users safe.
Another driver can also be at fault. Negligent activities might include the following:
- Fatigued driving
- Failure to recognize state laws (e.g., speed limits, stop signs, yield signs)
- Driving under the influence
- Improper maintenance
- Lack of adequate driver training
- Careless driving
- Poor driving in incremental weather
How We Can Help With Your Palm Bay Bus Accident Case
If you enlist the help of our Palm Bay injury lawyers, we will handle your entire case from start to finish. We will do all of the following:
Conduct Necessary Legal Research
Because bus accident cases are often very complex, it is essential to gather all of the information that we can about your situation. We must gather evidence to establish negligence, liability, and damages. The evidence we might need includes:
- The police or accident report
- Medical records
- Any accident-related bills
- Eyewitness testimony
- The driver’s hours of service logs
- The driver’s personnel file
- The driver’s alcohol and test results
- Surveillance video
- Photos
Establishing Liability in a Bus Accident Case
To recover compensation, you must have a liable party. Depending on the circumstances of your bus accident, there may be several liable parties. They might include the:
- Bus driver
- Bus company (The bus company will likely be liable if the bus driver behaved negligently and caused the accident. This is true whether the bus is privately owned or government-owned. This is due to the concept of vicarious liability. The bus company can also be directly liable if it hired someone with a history of reckless driving, for example.)
- Another driver: The driver of another vehicle can also be liable. In this case, you would file with that driver’s insurance company.
Determine the Value of Your Case
Depending on who is at fault for the bus accident, the settlement offer will likely look very different. For example, a bus company will have a much higher insurance policy limit than the average driver. It also means, however, that the case may be more difficult to win as the bus company’s insurer will fight tooth and nail to avoid paying you.
Handle All Communication with the Insurer
Communication with the different insurance providers is a crucial part of the negotiation process. We will handle all communication on your behalf to take that burden off your shoulders.
Manage Negotiations
We will fight to get the settlement you deserve from the insurer; however, if it refuses, we are fully prepared to take your case to court if the settlement amount does not appropriately cover your damages.
Act Quickly to Avoid Jeopardizing Your Right to Compensation
It is crucial to follow the statute of limitations in bus accident cases. Because we are often seeking compensation from a government entity, we must adhere to strict timelines. The State of Florida allows us to file a lawsuit against a third-party driver up to four years after the date of the accident.
Lawsuits against government entities, however, vary and are often much shorter. Contact a Palm Bay injury attorney as soon as possible to ensure you meet all necessary deadlines.
Call 1-800-747-3733 Today to Discuss Your Bus Crash Case with Our Team
Whether you suffered injuries on a tour bus, city bus, or another other type of bus in Palm Bay, Florida, you deserve compensation for the injuries you suffered. It is crucial that you take action as soon as possible to avoid statute of limitations laws.
Call one of our injury attorneys at The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine at 1-800-747-3733 today to discuss your case. The initial consultation is always free.
We Can Help.
