National media attention naturally goes to interstate bus crashes—either charter bus accidents or tour bus and motorcoach crashes along regular routes between cities. Because those accidents involve lots of people from many communities, those accidents have widespread news value. When you consider news as a business, such accidents sell to a wider area than a local traffic accident.
But in terms of human misery and suffering, it may be that local transit bus accidents have a greater impact, even if they garner less attention from news media. A commuter bus system that operates in a city, small town, or county transports many people, day after day. In the largest cities, hundreds of buses may be on the road at any given time.
In part because of the lack of attention from national media, comprehensive statistics on transit bus injuries are simply not available. But we do know that such accidents occur with alarming frequency. Yet even when transit bus collisions send multiple bus passengers to the emergency room or inflict horrible injuries on bicyclists or pedestrians, the event is noted in local newspapers for a day or two and then quickly forgotten.
Except that we don’t forget. We recognize that transit bus accidents can main passengers and pedestrians just as much as any other commercial bus accidents. Our long experience dealing with bus injuries from coast to coast even tells us that there are several different ways that transit bus incidents are unique.
Four aspects of transit bus cases
If you have been injured because of the errors of a transit bus driver or dispatcher, here are four key aspects to consider about your claim:
- Transit bus driver training can be amazingly weak. Some cities and towns have a rigorous application process to become a transit bus driver; in other areas, it’s enough if you have a friend who knows someone working for the company. Similarly, driver education, skill checks, and safety procedures are routinely ignored in some U.S. communities. Don’t expect that just because the driver wears a stylish uniform he knows what he’s doing.
- Pedestrians face special risks. Curbside bus stops and bus depots are notorious places for accidents to happen—and those accidents often involve a vehicle moving forward to run over a pedestrian. Be especially careful when boarding or exiting a bus. Clever placement of mirrors is used to compensate for the fact that a bus driver cannot see people walking near the vehicle, but not all drivers use their mirrors skillfully.
- Don’t count on the police report to be unbiased. Local cops know that a single adverse accident report can get a transit bus driver fired. Sometimes—especially if a collision caused vehicular damage but no serious human injuries—they will shade their accident reports to blame the other driver rather than the bus operator. Always remember that a police report that says you were at fault does not settle the issue. Your bus accident lawyer can investigate the case to show that the police report was in error.
- It’s not easy to take on City Hall. Many transit bus operations are owned (fully or partly) by the city, township, or county government. The government may automatically waive its immunity to lawsuits to let your claim be heard, but getting a fair trial or settlement for your claim will take extraordinary skill and persistence.
The lawyers at Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers take on transit bus cases
Due to our experience with national bus companies, we are uniquely positioned to be able to work on your transit bus injury claim. Don’t settle for a tiny fraction of your case’s true value because your accident wasn’t newsworthy. If you weren’t at fault, you should not have to pay the medical bills or make up for your other losses on your own.
Call the lawyers at Ostroff Godshall Injury and Accident Lawyers today. You will get a confidential consultation with an attorney at absolutely NO COST TO YOU. If you hire us, we will not charge you ANY legal fees unless we’re able to win you a recovery or settlement.
We take your case seriously. With us on your side, the transit bus company will learn to take you seriously, too.
