Taking public transportation is convenient, but you put your life in someone else’s hands. People who get injured as passengers in a bus accident might feel like they have no control over the situation. However, a bus accident is different from a car accident, so you need to react accordingly.
What Steps Should You Take After a Bus Accident?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s safety reports show that injury crashes involving buses have regularly increased. By 2019, the total number reached over 127,000 injuries. With increasing injuries involving buses, it’s important to know how to handle a bus accident if you’re involved in one.
#1. Step One
Call 911 to report the accident. You need to ensure you and the other passengers are safe and able to access necessary medical care. Many buses don’t have seatbelts, so you or the people around you might sustain severe injuries in an accident.
#2. Step Two
Document the accident. Take pictures of the bus and other vehicles involved. Show any damage to the surrounding areas. Get contact information from the driver and other passengers. If you have a chance to talk to emergency personnel on the scene, get their information as well. These people can help back up your story in court and provide authority to your claim.
#3. Step Three
See a medical professional, even if you don’t feel like you’re hurt. Internal damage might not have any side effects, and some injuries can take hours or days before you’re aware of them. Getting a medical exam ensures you know what injuries resulted from the accident.
#4. Step Four
Contact a lawyer. You have photo evidence, contact information, and a medical exam report from a healthcare professional. An attorney can help compile all this data into a strong claim. Whether you’re going up against the city transportation department or a private company, an injury lawyer will fight for your deserved compensation.
What Damages Can You Collect From a Bus Accident?
Minnesota doesn’t have a cap on pain and suffering damages, meaning there is no limit to what you can ask for in your legal claim. As Minnesota city buses are government entities, Mottaz and Sisk lawyers know how to level claims against them to get what you deserve.
Insurance companies for private bus companies try to pay out the least amount possible. Having an attorney on your side will ensure you’re getting adequate compensation. Injury attorneys also know what claims to make against the bus driver, the bus manufacturer, the transit company, and other entities involved in the accident. Damages you can collect from a bus accident include:
- Medical bills, both current and in the future due to injury
- Property damage
- Lost salary while undergoing medical treatment
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Depending on the severity of the accident, you can also file for loss of your future earning capacity. Understandably, you’re unable to work when undergoing treatment for your injuries. But many people don’t think of how that pain will impact their job in the future. You might not be able to work in the same field after sustaining injuries from a bus accident.
What Are Common Bus Accident Injuries?
Common bus accident injuries include broken bones, fractures, and cuts. In severe cases, the impact can cause amputation. You might think you have whiplash but not realize it might be a more intense head or spinal cord injury.
Looking yourself over is not enough when surviving a bus accident. You need a medical professional to run tests to check for internal organ damage and brain trauma. You might feel fine overall but not realize the complications going on inside.
Getting a medical exam to check for these injuries helps your case. You can show the insurance company that they need to pay for tests, hospital bills, physical therapy, medication, and other injury-related fees. When the bus driver is at fault, you are not responsible for those expenses.
Final Notes
Bus accidents are serious events that can hurt you and cause you to lose money in many ways. You deserve compensation for all you lost in the crash.
For a free case evaluation, contact Mottaz and Sisk Injury Law. Our injury lawyers work to get you the compensation you deserve after a bus accident.
