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Have you or a loved one been injured as the result of a bus driver’s negligence behind the wheel? Each year in the United States there are more than 63,000 bus accidents. 

The sheer size and speed of a bus can make these accidents range from minor fender benders to catastrophic loss and even death. In a flash, you or your loved one’s life can be changed forever because of a bus driver’s negligent behavior. 

After a bus crash, you may be in pain and scared. You also may wonder what you should be doing to help your family in the best way during those times. You and your loved ones will want to avoid extra physical and financial consequences caused by the accident.

Read on to learn five immediate steps to take if you get into a bus accident!

1. Seek Immediate Medical Care

Whether the bus accident is a minor collision or a high-speed crash, you should seek immediate medical care. While you think you feel fine right after an accident, it doesn’t always mean you are safe and healthy. Other times, injuries won’t show themselves until days after the accident.

Seek medical care to ensure that a professional monitors your condition. They can also take important x-rays or MRI’s to document your injuries. Treating with a doctor will also help you avoid exacerbating existing injuries. This can help decrease your pain level and improve your chances of making a more full recovery later. 

2. Report the Accident and Speak to Witnesses

It’s important to document the accident and speak to witnesses right after the fact.

The strength of any personal injury lawsuit later can be the ability of your witnesses to recollect what took place at the time. Report the accident by calling the police or local law enforcement authorities to ensure that there is a record made of the incident.

A police report should include the names and contact information of all witnesses, along with facts about how the accident took place. Remember that the facts in a police report won’t tell the whole story. There will be oral and written witness statements that help shed light on what took place.

3. Hire an Experienced Personal Injury Lawyer

You should hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to represent your interests against the negligent bus driver and their insurance company. Sometimes after a bus accident, you will have short- and long-term injuries.

You may also have a permanent change in your ability to work and quality of life. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be ready to negotiate a settlement with the negligent driver’s insurance company on your behalf.

In the event a settlement can’t be reached by the parties, your attorney must have the tools to represent you in court and present your position during a jury trial. During a lawsuit, your attorney will conduct discovery to learn more about the accident, and what a witness will say, and how they will present to a judge or jury.

Hiring the best attorney to represent your interests will help you remain confident during litigation. 

4. Keep Track of All Medical Expenses and Damages

After a bus accident, it can be hard to focus on daily tasks and challenging to keep your life on track. Despite the obstacles you will face after a bus crash, you must ensure you keep a running tally of all your medical expenses and other damages.

For example, keep a copy of each medical bill that you receive in the mail or via email. You should also tally the number of days of work you missed. This includes days immediately after the accident, as well as other times you can’t be at work because of physical therapy and doctor’s appointments. 

The total amount of your medical expenses and other damages is important because you will need to document these in a demand letter to the negligent driver’s insurance company, or later in litigation.  

5. Make Your Initial Demand

When you speak to your attorney about the bus crash, they will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your case, and develop a strategy for how to represent you.

After you’ve begun treating with medical professionals but before the statute of limitations runs on your time to file a lawsuit, your attorney will begin preparing a demand letter to the negligent bus driver’s insurance company. 

Sometimes, this also means sending copies to the bus driver, their employer, and any other entity with an ownership interest in the bus being driven at the time. Your lawyer will perform research to learn what insurance policies may exist so that he can make a timely claim on your behalf. 

Oftentimes, these demands are for the policy limits of an insurance policy – the maximum amount a negligent driver has coverage for under their particular insurance contract. Your attorney will also be ready to respond on your behalf when or if the insurance company makes a poor settlement offer.  

In the State of Hawaii, you have two years from the date of an accident to file your lawsuit.

Wrapping Up: Filing a Bus Accident Lawsuit

A bus accident can alter the course of your life in the blink of an eye. Taking these steps immediately afterward can help you navigate uncertain waters. You may feel stress and anxiety as you begin to adjust to the new normal in your life after such a traumatic event.  

At Cummings Law, Brian Cummings is an attorney with over 20 years’ experience in litigation. He handles a wide range of cases including medical malpractice, personal injury, and bus accident crashes. He takes a client-first approach to represent victims in car and bus crash matters.

Contact our law firm today to learn more about his legal services and how he can help you!

According to statistics, 29.4 million people visited emergency rooms across the country for unintentional injuries (as of 2017). Furthermore, 169,936 lives were lost due to accidental injuries. Personal injuries can throw your life off course. When they do happen, you’ll need to make many decisions in a short period. It is, therefore, useful to have a knowledgeable and experienced personal injury lawyer by your side to offer you objective guidance and representation.

Here’s a look at eight questions you should ask a personal injury lawyer as you interview them.

1. Can the Attorney Cope With Your Case?

When you are on the hunt for a good injury lawyer, it pays to look at what they can’t do as much as what they are capable of. In particular, you are looking for an attorney who is self-aware enough to know their limitations.

An exceptional lawyer will know when not to pick up a case as much as when to take on a client. You need to search for an attorney who believes they have the energy and time to devote to your case.

To find this out, you can ask them about past instances where they have had to turn away clients with a case similar to yours.

Pay attention to the reason they give you for doing so as that will indicate whether they are a good judge of circumstances or not.

2. Has the Attorney Handled Similar a Case Before?

One of the most potent tips for finding a reliable injury lawyer is to look for one with relevant experience. That means looking not just for general litigation experience but a track record in managing a case similar to yours.

Once you zero in on an attorney who is skilled in the area of expertise your case is in, you need to assess their track record. Are they new to your type of situation? Have they succeeded in defending a client facing similar circumstances to yours?

Past performance may not be a bullet-proof guarantee of how the attorney will deal with your case. However, it does give you a degree of certainty about what to expect.

3. What’s The Attorney’s Assessment of Your Case?

As the aggrieved party in the case, you may understandably not be the most objective person to assess it. Talking to an injury attorney who, in effect, is a third-party can be useful in giving you more objective case analysis.

A good lawyer will be able to give you an authentic look into your case and its chances of success. Additionally, the attorney will help you determine if the case is worth pursuing or not, especially in light of how much it might cost you.

4. What Degree of Participation Will You Have?

While it may seem obvious to you that your involvement with the case should be thorough, that may not always be so.

Before you hire an injury attorney, you need to be clear on the level of participation in the whole process that you can expect.

That’s because some attorney’s welcome (and even insist) on the client being deeply involved in the case. Other lawyers prefer the client standing back so they can do much of the work themselves.

Knowing the attorney’s mode of approach on your participation can help determine if the two of you can collaborate successfully.

5. How Often Will the Attorney Be Communicating With You?

The level of communication between you and the injury attorney has a direct impact on the case’s outcome. As such, you want an attorney who gives you personal attention and communicates promptly concerning the progress of your situation.

Thus, one question you should ask a lawyer upfront is how they plan to be communicating with you.

Will it primarily be their paralegal or investigator that does a bulk of the communicating with you? Can you have easy and direct access to the attorney handling your case?

Don’t leave the question of communication not being clearly defined as it can introduce friction in the working relationship.

6. Will the Lawyer Try Your Case If Compensation Isn’t Fair?

At the start of a personal injury case, you should always account for the fact that you may not get fair compensation. Such an outcome inevitably pushes the case to trial.

With that in mind, you need to ask the attorney from the jump if they will still be the one trying the case in such an eventuality.

That’s critical because it’s common practice to find law firms that employ two lawyers – one to settle and another for trial. As a rule of thumb, the same lawyer should be the one handling your case from start to finish.

If the attorney you’re interviewing isn’t the one to take your case to the finish line, then that’s a red flag.

7. Do You Have to Pay Upfront?

Most personal injury lawyers operate on a contingency basis. What that means is you don’t pay the attorney up front to take on your case.

Instead, if they believe your case is viable, they will take it on and receive a percentage of the award. If you lose the case, then the lawyer doesn’t get paid.

Personal injury attorneys earn around 25% to 33% of what you win. However, high-end lawyers can receive as much as 40% of the award.

Ensure you have in writing what the attorney is expected to earn from your case to avoid issues down the road.

8. Who Pays the Costs If You Lose?

Various injury lawyers will handle expenses related to the case differently. If you do win your case, every lawyer will expect you to foot the associated costs.

However, if you don’t win the case, it will now depend on what you agreed upon with the attorney. Some lawyers will charge you out-of-pocket expenses while others will opt to foot the bill if they lose.

When you choose to pay the associated expenses no matter the outcome, you’ll have higher negotiating power for a lower attorney cut.

Win the Fight With the Right Personal Injury Lawyer

Accidents can throw your life in disarray when they occur, and it’s at such times that you need a reliable legal guide. Since you’ll be making many decisions in short order, you’ll need to work with an experienced and competent personal injury lawyer that can help you seek justice and compensation.

Brian Cummings is a board-certified medical malpractice attorney with over 20 years’ experience in successfully fighting for clients. Reach out today for ethical and proven medical malpractice representation to get justice.