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Buses move millions of Texans every day, but a collision involving one can cause serious and life-altering injuries.
When a bus driver or company acts negligently and someone gets hurt, the legal process for seeking compensation can be more complex than a standard car accident claim.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, call Zinda Law Group at (888) 659-9392 for a 100% free case evaluation with our Texas bus accident attorneys.
Types of Bus Accidents We Handle in Texas
Bus accidents in Texas fall into several categories, each with its own liability considerations.
School Bus Accidents
Accidents involving children on a school bus are devastating events for both the victim and the family. These types of accidents typically occur in residential areas, where other drivers are less likely to pay attention to their surroundings. There are various circumstances that may lead to a school bus accident, which include:
- Injury while getting on or off the bus
- Other drivers ignoring the bus’s stop sign
- Bus driver getting into a car accident
Because school buses do not have the typical safety restraints like most cars do, injuries from bus accidents have the potential to be life-threatening.
Public Bus Accidents
Public buses may include city buses, charter buses, tour buses, and other large commercial buses. Public bus accidents have the potential to cause injury to many people. Many bus designs are tall in height, which results in an extremely high center of gravity. The massive weight of these vehicles increases the risk for a bus rollover crash to occur on public roadways or highways. The companies that own and operate commercial buses have a legal obligation to check that their vehicles are maintained according to state and national regulations.
Sun Metro and Municipal Transit Accidents
Sun Metro is the City of El Paso’s public transit system, operating bus routes and rapid transit lines across the El Paso metro area. Because Sun Metro is operated by the City of El Paso, any injury claim against it must comply with the Texas Tort Claims Act, including the government notice-of-claim requirement. The City of El Paso has its own notice deadline under the TTCA, which may be as short as 45 to 90 days from the date of the accident.
Missing this window can bar your claim entirely, regardless of how serious your injuries are. If you were hurt on a Sun Metro bus or at a Sun Metro stop, contact our attorneys as quickly as possible to protect your right to file.
Passenger Van Accidents
Small vans designed to hold 15 or fewer passengers are typically used by correctional facilities, daycares, churches, and other organizations. These types of vehicles have a higher likelihood than any other vehicle to be involved in dangerous rollover accidents. This is due to the design of the vehicle, which becomes dangerous when fully loaded with passengers and cargo; too much weight may make the van unstable and more likely to rollover.
Private and Charter Bus Accidents in Texas
Not all bus accidents involve government-operated vehicles. Texas roads also see accidents involving Greyhound and FlixBus intercity coaches, school charter buses, party buses, tour operators, and employer shuttle services. Claims against private carriers follow standard negligence rules — no Texas Tort Claims Act filing requirements apply.
When a private carrier’s driver causes a crash, liability can extend to the company itself through respondeat superior. If defective equipment contributed to the crash, the manufacturer may also be a liable party. Our attorneys handle claims against private bus companies as well as government transit authorities across Texas.
CASE RESULTS
Bus Accident Statistics in Texas
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, thousands of large bus crashes occur across the United States each year, with Texas consistently ranking among the states with the highest number of commercial vehicle incidents. Bus accidents cause disproportionate harm compared to car crashes because most buses lack seat belts and airbags, and their size and weight amplify the force of impact for everyone involved.
Common Causes of Bus Accidents
Here are some of the common causes of bus accidents:
Bus Company Negligence
Despite serving a similar amount of people as the airline industry, bus companies do not usually have stringent record-keeping and bus inspection protocols. Buses require a great deal of maintenance and upkeep to keep them operating safely on public roadways. A bus accident could occur due to poor bus maintenance or defective parts that the company failed to take action in fixing.
Bus Driver Negligence
While there are laws in place that attempt to regulate bus drivers, they are often disregarded, especially by charter or tour bus companies. For example, bus drivers may ignore laws regulating bus speed, turning, and passing. Drivers may also be negligent when they are on their phones texting or calling. Accidents may also be the result of poor driver training.
Bad Weather
Hazardous weather coupled with poor road conditions and the bus’s weight may cause wrecks. Bus drivers should be properly trained to operate a bus according to the weather conditions.
Left Turns
Left-turn crashes are among the most frequent bus accidents in Texas.
Bus drivers must account for large blind spots on both sides of the vehicle before turning, and a driver who lacks proper training or physical capability to manage these checks puts everyone around the bus at risk.
When a left-turn crash occurs, our attorneys investigate whether the driver met hiring and training requirements.
Bus Fires
Fires in buses arise from two locations. The engine compartment is the cause of most bus fires. These types of fires are preventable by systematic maintenance, since dirty engines create conditions for fires from a small spark or from the high heat of travel. The second most common area for bus fires is around the tires and wheel wells. Under-inflated tires pose a significant threat. When tires are operated at low air pressure, heat quickly builds up and a fire may result.
How Do Bus Accidents Differ From Car Accidents?
With most motor vehicle accidents, if you’re filing a lawsuit in court, the procedure is pretty straightforward. However, when involved in a bus accident, there are some issues that differ from those involved in car accident cases:
Unique Legal Issues
If you’re injured as a passenger on a bus, you may make a third-party claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance by seeking compensation for economic and/or non-economic damages. On the other hand, if the bus driver was at fault, then the law gets more complicated. Because most buses are owned and operated by government entities, you usually must start by filing a “notice of claim” with the particular government entity that is potentially liable for the bus accident.
Government Employees
Since many buses are owned by the government, a government employee may have the protection of sovereign immunity, meaning that the government has immunity from a lawsuit against it. Most government entities allow a lawsuit to proceed if the complaining party complies with the procedural requirements used in lawsuits against the government. Another unique feature of lawsuits against the government includes caps on the amount of damages available.
Read More: Texas STAR Transit Accident Claims
Severity of Injury
Because buses are larger and heavier than most other vehicles, they have a tendency to cause severe damage. Additionally, most buses do not have seat belts or airbags, increasing the likelihood of serious injury.
Below are the most common bus accident injuries:
- Burns
- Scarring
- Amputation
- Head, spinal, and brain injuries
- Bone injuries
- Paralysis
- Whiplash
- Permanent disability
- Wrongful death
Filing a Claim For Bus Accidents
Injury claims against the government are made under the Texas Tort Claims Act. Under the Texas Tort Claims Act, there are a few factors that may influence your claim:
Damage Caps
A damage cap limits the amount of compensation you may seek from the government for an injury claim. In Texas, the damage cap ranges from $100,000 to $500,000 based on the details of the damage. Keep in mind that this cap is the maximum compensation possible, and is no way indicative of the average settlement for a bus accident. To learn more about how much you may be entitled to for your injuries, contact a lawyer.
Notification Requirements
You must notify the government of your intent to sue, which involves filing a “notice of claim.” While personal injury lawsuits have a 2 year statute of limitations in Texas, the notice requirement under the Texas Tort Claims Act provides a shorter statute of limitations. Cities are permitted to establish their own notice deadlines, which means that every city in Texas has a notice deadline that may be as short as 45 days and as long as only 6 months.
What You’ll Need to Prove
When seeking compensation, you need to prove that:
- The government operated the bus company
- There was a duty owed by the bus driver or bus company
- The bus company or driver breached that duty
- Your injury was caused by the operation of the bus or a defect with the bus
- The bus company or driver would have been personally liable had they been a private entity
- You provided proper notice to the governmental entity
Contact a Bus Accident Attorney
Bus accident lawsuits tend to be complicated depending on the parties involved. The assistance of an experienced lawyer may help you with managing the claim process.
For a lawsuit against a privately-owned bus company, you must prove negligence. Specifically, you need to show that the bus driver had a duty to exercise reasonable care, breached that duty, leading to an injury and damages.
Compensation Available in Bus Accident Cases
Calculating the amount of your claim after a bus accident may be difficult. Typically, damages for personal injury claims fall under two categories: economic or non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
The two main types of economic damages are medical expenses and lost wages. Medical expenses may include:
- Ambulance transportation
• Hospital fees
• Costs of rehabilitation and physical therapy
• Costs for possible future medical treatment.
Lost wages represent the time you are off from work because of your injuries from the accident. Specifically, lost wages may include:
- Bonuses
• Overtime
• Vacation time
• Loss of earning capacity
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are losses or injuries that are suffered by a car accident victim, but are not defined in monetary terms. Non-economic damages may cover pain and suffering, emotional distress, physical impairment, physical disfigurement, a lowered quality of life, and mental anguish.
Who Can Be Held Liable For a Bus Accident?
Here are some parties that may be liable for a bus accident:
- The bus driver
- The bus company/driver’s employer
- The government entity responsible for operating the bus
- Other motorists
- The company responsible for the bus’s maintenance
- Bus passengers (e.g., a passenger who physically interfered with the driver)
Statute of Limitations for Accidents Involving Buses
For bus accidents in Texas, the standard statute of limitations is 2 years, meaning that a victim must file their personal injury claim within 2 years after the date of the accident. In lawsuits against the government, the notice requirement under the Texas Tort Claims Act provides a shorter statute of limitations. Every city in Texas is permitted to establish their own notice deadlines, meaning that each city has a notice deadline that may be as short as 45 days and as long as 6 months.
In car accidents involving minors, the 2 year statute of limitations begins to run on the minor’s 18th birthday. For example, if the victim was 10 years old at the time of the accident, and the statute of limitations for car accidents is 2 years, then the victim would have 10 years to file a lawsuit before being barred by the statute of limitations.
We Serve All of Texas
At Zinda Law Group, our nationwide personal injury attorneys have helped families in every area of Texas, including the following cities:
Call Texas Bus Accident Lawyers at Zinda Law Group
At Zinda Law Group, our bus accident attorneys have the experience and knowledge that has helped injured victims seek compensation after suffering an injury from a bus accident. Our attorneys have the experience and resources to build a strong case and pursue the full compensation you are owed.
Our firm also believes that an injured victim should never have to worry about their ability to afford excellent legal representation. That is why we offer 100% free consultations, and why you pay nothing unless we achieve a favorable settlement, judgment, or verdict for your personal injury claim. That’s our No Fee Guarantee.
If you or a loved one has sustained injuries due to a bus accident, call Zinda Law Group at (888) 659 9392 for a 100% free case evaluation with our bus accident attorneys.
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