If you were involved in a bus accident, you could be entitled to substantial compensation for your injuries. Bus accidents involving public transit, charter buses, school buses, or buses from other bus companies can often allow you to file a lawsuit to get the compensation you deserve.
Insurance claims are supposed to be the first course of action to get compensation. However, serious injuries generally entitle you to file a lawsuit and might be better compensated that way. For help with your case, make sure to work with an experienced Albany bus accident lawyer who can help maximize your damages.
For a free case review, call The Carrion Law Firm’s Albany bus accident lawyers today. Call our legal team today at (718) 841-0083.
Getting Compensation for a Bus Accident in Albany
Damages for a bus accident can typically be paid through insurance claims or lawsuits. When you file an insurance claim, NY’s no-fault laws typically limit you to claiming only medical bills and lost wages. If you instead have qualifying “serious injuries,” you could be entitled to sue for additional damages like pain and suffering. However, you will need to understand whose insurance covers your accident and what drivers you could be entitled to sue.
Filing an Insurance Claim for Albany Bus Accident Damages
Every driver is required to carry no-fault PIP insurance (personal injury protection). This covers themselves, any passengers in their vehicle, and any pedestrians they hit while driving. These damages should be paid through a claim regardless of who caused the accident.
If you were injured in a bus accident, whose insurance covers your accident would depend on how your accident happened. If you were riding in the bus at the time of the crash, the bus driver’s PIP should cover. If you were in another car when the accident happened, then the driver of that car should cover you with their PIP. If you were on foot or riding a bike when a bus hit you, then the bus driver’s insurance should again cover you.
Transportation companies that carry passengers often have strong insurance that can help cover additional damages after an accident, meaning that an insurance claim against the bus company might be enough to cover your damages. This option might be available whether you were a passenger on the bus, in another car, or on foot when the crash occurred. Talk to our Albany bus accident lawyers for help.
Filing a Lawsuit for Albany Bus Accident Damages
When you file a lawsuit, you open access to additional damages. PIP insurance typically pays for medical bills and economic damages only. Additional claims are necessary against the at-fault driver for vehicle damage, let alone serious damages like pain and suffering.
However, to get these damages, your case needs to involve “serious injuries.” Our Albany bus accident lawyers can review your case and help show that your injuries are severe enough to file a lawsuit. Any injuries involving broken bones, permanent damage, or disabilities that will last for at least 90 of the following 180 days should qualify you for a lawsuit.
Choosing the right target for your lawsuit is a bit different from choosing which insurance policy covers your accident. Instead of looking to the driver of the vehicle you were riding in, you look to the at-fault driver. This means that if the bus driver caused the crash, you would sue them for injuries. If another driver actually caused the crash, you would sue them instead.
If the bus driver caused the accident, you can often sue the bus company they worked for as well. However, there may be additional limitations and deadlines to follow if the crash involved a public transit bus such as a CDTA bus. Start working with our Albany bus accident lawyers as soon as you can if your accident involved a CDTA bus.
Common Causes of Bus Accidents in Albany, NY
Bus accidents can occur for many different reasons. A few of the most common types of accidents involve the following circumstances:
Not Watching for Pedestrians
Many bus drivers cause crashes because they fail to properly watch out for passengers, bikers, and others crossing the street or walking near the bus. Especially when people are running to catch a bus, the driver might not be keeping a proper lookout for fast-moving people on the sidewalk. This could easily cause a crash when the pedestrian enters the roadway or crosswalk.
Speeding
Speed is a factor in most auto accidents, and bus accidents are no different. Especially since buses are so large, it is so much harder to turn or slow down in a bus than it is in a regular sedan. As such, bus drivers need to be especially careful to follow posted speed limits and potentially drive slower than the speed limit if it would be unsafe to go faster.
Regulatory Violations
There are many state and federal regulations that govern bus drivers and bus companies. These involve licensing requirements, equipment regulations, and limitations on driving hours. If a driver was not properly licensed, if a bus was not properly inspected or equipped, or if a bus company or driver ignored hours-of-service rules, the regulatory violation could be used as evidence to support your claim against them.
Drunk, Tired, and Distracted Driving
Bus drivers are occasionally accused of driving under the influence, driving while tired, or focusing more on their phones than the road. However, these potential causes of accidents can also affect other drivers who crash into buses. Many accidents involving another driver who crashed into a bus involve one of these issues that made their driving so unsafe. Our Albany bus accident lawyers can help hold drunk, tired, and distracted drivers responsible for your injuries.
Call Our Albany Bus Accident Attorneys For a Free Case Evaluation
To have our Albany bus accident lawyers review your case for free, contact The Carrion Law Firm today at (718) 841-0083.