Bus accidents may happen infrequently in San Bernardino and nearby areas, but when they do, they often leave multiple victims in their wake. Recently, a bus in San Bernardino overturned near the 15 Freeway, killing one person and injuring 11, three of them critically. It’s not just freeway-bound buses that pose danger, either: nationwide, 46 school buses and 86 transit buses suffered fatal crashes in 2020, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
What should you do if you or a loved one is harmed in a bus accident in San Bernardino? The experienced bus accident lawyers at Kash Legal can help. We have fought for justice on behalf of many bus accident victims and will use that experience to obtain justice for you. Our first consultation is entirely free.
Can I Receive Compensation If I’m Injured in a Bus Accident?
If you suffered injuries in a bus accident caused by another party, you may be entitled to seek financial compensation for your injuries.
The entity that caused the accident is negligent if it violated the standard of care expected of them. Negligent people and organizations are liable, or financially responsible, for the injuries they cause.
What is the standard of care? We don’t use that term in everyday life, but we know these standards because they involve basic safety and training. A bus driver, for example, must drive safely and obey all laws. In California, a bus driver must have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) and obtain a current school bus or passenger endorsement if appropriate. A bus manufacturer must produce buses that are safe and have no defects. A bus operating company must maintain and repair its buses appropriately. If they become damaged or worn out, the company must repair the damage and refurbish worn-out parts.
In other words, if the bus driver does not follow traffic laws or is not properly trained, the driver is arguably negligent. If a bus rolls off a manufacturer’s assembly line with defective brakes, the manufacturer is arguably negligent. If a bus company doesn’t repair a bus with faulty headlights or check to see if their drivers are qualified, those are all negligent actions.
To seek compensation after a bus accident, you must know who or what caused the accident. You can either approach the at-fault party’s insurance company for compensation or bring a lawsuit against them. If you don’t know the causes of the accident, a bus accident lawyer can help you investigate.
What Compensation Can I Receive?
In California, folks injured in a bus accident can seek the following in damage compensation.
- Payment for medical bills: for emergency services, hospitalization, doctor’s appointments, diagnostic tests, prescription medication, medical devices, physical therapy, and more
- Payment for time you lost from work: due to the accident itself or necessary treatment
- Lifetime value of earnings: if your injuries cause you to lose the ability to work
- Pain and suffering caused by the accident and injuries: for physical, emotional, and psychological pain
- Personal property: for personal property (such as a vehicle) damaged by the accident
If you need treatment in the future or need to miss work, your damages can also include estimates.
What Should I Do After a Bus Accident in San Bernardino?
After an accident, you need to focus on your health and safety. If you receive serious injuries, you will likely be taken to an emergency room and treated. You need to follow all recommendations for treatment. If you sustained lesser injuries, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. In fact, it’s prudent to see a doctor even if you don’t feel injured. Serious injuries, such as mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI), often go unnoticed. A doctor can check you out thoroughly and give appropriate treatment.
If someone else caused the accident, it’s also important to obtain evidence of what happened and who bore responsibility. If you want to seek damage compensation, you’ll need to have evidence of the accident’s causes and your injuries. This may include:
- Police reports
- Pictures or videos of the accident or accident scene, including surveillance footage
- Eyewitness testimony
- Pictures or videos of your injuries
- Medical reports and diagnoses
- Your notes
A lawyer can help you gather evidence. If you have a smartphone, it’s a good idea to take pictures of the accident scene and your injuries as soon as possible. It’s also prudent to note what happened shortly after the incident.
Be sure to keep all medical records and follow all your doctor’s recommendations. Insurance companies can try to compensate less, or not at all, if they can argue your injuries and their complications are in any way due to your actions. A record that you sought and followed medical advice protects you against these accusations.
What if My Loved One Died as a Result of a Bus Accident?
It’s a tragedy to lose a loved one in a bus accident. Under California law, spouses or partners, children, and grandchildren are entitled to bring a wrongful death lawsuit to help them cope financially in the wake of an accident.
Wrongful death suits can seek compensation for economic losses, such as funeral and burial expenses, financial support the deceased would have supplied, the value of household services the deceased supplied, and benefits the deceased would have received had they lived.
You can also seek compensation for the considerable non-economic losses, such as the loss of love, companionship, and guidance.
Contact A San Bernardino Bus Injury Attorney at Kash Legal
The hit-and-run attorneys at Kash Legal work with your interests in mind. We know that finding the driver at fault in a hit-and-run is necessary for your case. We work with the police, investigators, and specialists to find out the details of the case.
We can negotiate with insurance companies for a just settlement or bring a case to court for damages. Our first consultation is always free, and we work on a contingency fee basis. We are located conveniently in San Bernardino. Contact us today at (951) 651-0774 or by filling out our contact form.
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