Chandler Bus Accident Attorneys

What To Do After a Collision with a Bus

When a bus keeps you from moving down the road as quickly as you would like, you know that you silently, or perhaps loudly, curse the mass transit system. Ok, maybe you don't but we know many people do.

Unfortunately, if you ever find yourself on the wrong end of a collision involving a bus your opinion of mass transit may change for the worse. This is because individuals who are involved in crashes that are caused by or involve buses often face significant injuries and lengthy recoveries that put their lives, their freedom to enjoy their lives, and their livelihoods in jeopardy. Traffic collisions that leave victims with serious injuries do more than just cause them bodily harm. They also leave victims to deal with trauma that comes in the form of property damage, financial losses and disruptions, emotional disruptions, and mental or behavioral disruptions.

Most victims do not know that they don't have to deal with these problems on their own. There are people out there who can help you make it through your recovery more quickly and with less stress. This would include your doctors, mental and emotional health therapists, and Chandler injury lawyers who understand the law for personal injury cases, bus laws, traffic accident laws, and how to build a personal injury case that will help you get the compensation and assistance you need to make a complete recovery from your injuries and other damages.

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What Injuries Might I Sustain in a Chandler Bus Accident?

Every accident on the road, not just those involving buses, has the potential to cause you great harm and serious injuries. Because every crash is different, there's no way to know exactly the list of injuries you could sustain just by being involved in a collision with one of these large mass transit vehicles. However, there are some injuries that are more common to these types of incidents than others, and those include the following.

• Whiplash, especially if you are rear-ended by the bus going at top speeds on the freeway or the highway, or if the bus is speeding. Whiplash can also occur in low speed accidents, especially if you are stopped at the time of impact. Whiplash does not only occur in rear-end collisions, but is more common in these scenarios.
• Injuries to the spine, neck, and back. There are a multitude of different injuries that can occur to your body in these sensitive areas when you are hit by a bus. Many injuries that occur to the spine, neck, or back cause permanent damage and the victims feel pain or discomfort to some degree for the rest of their lives.
• Broken bones. Broken arms, legs, and collarbones are common in car crashes, and can be caused by the initial impact or even by the deployment of your airbags. Broken bones, when serious enough, may require surgery to ensure proper healing and to ensure that you do not lose mobility or range of motion in the future. Some broken bones require years to properly heal with limited activity, lengthy physical therapy contracts, and lifestyle modifications.
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). If your head hits against the steering wheel, dashboard, seatback, car window, or anything else when you are involved in a crash with a bus, you may find yourself with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The mere force of your head shaking back and forth during an accident, even without impact, may also be enough to cause this injury. This type of injury can alter the course of your life forever, You may fall into a coma, lose your mental faculties, lose motor function, or even lose the ability to walk, talk, write, or take care of yourself either temporarily or permanently.

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How Do Bus Crashes Happen?

You've probably heard about collisions involving buses on the news. And you've probably seen it on television and in the movies. But there's likely little chance you believe that this type of serious crash could happen in your neighborhood, let alone anywhere in Chandler. And while bus drivers tend to be great drivers, there are many occasions when they can have a bad driving day, too. Some of the most common hazards that can cause a bus driver to cause a collision on the road, even one that involves you, include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Drivers who are distracted by something else. Multiple people on a bus causing a racket can be very distracting or many times bus drivers are driving long hours and they are not fully paying attention
• Drivers who haven't had enough sleep or who have become fatigued by driving all day long. Not having enough sleep is dangerous for any motorist, but when it comes to bus drivers, dozens of lives are resting in the hands of this individual, both inside and outside the bus. Long shifts create fatigue, and bus drivers who don't take appropriate breaks are likely to have a difficult time keeping their eyes open, too.
• Broken buses. This sounds a bit strange at first, since you may have had your vehicle break down on the road before and not been involved in a collision. But a bus with bad brakes, worn tire treads, or fogged and scratched windshields can pose a serious hazard on the road. Buses are supposed to be safety-checked and properly maintained at all times, but that doesn't mean it always happens the way it is supposed to. And you never know when a maintenance clerk or bus driver that gets a little too busy might fudge the numbers or write them in just to get things moving along.

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Why Should I Seek Recompense From the Bus Driver and Bus Company?

Most victims in car crashes believe that the insurance company will take care of all of their injuries and expenses related to their collision. And these victims do not realize that there is a limit to what the insurance company is willing to pay. If your expenses exceed that limit and you accept what the insurance company is willing to offer, then you are stuck footing the remainder of the bill. Imagine if you are injured in a crash with a bus and your injuries, damages, and losses amount to more than $500,000 over time, but the insurance tells you that their payment limit is $300,000. Where are you going to get the additional $200,000 to pay your bills and keep your family afloat?

The fact is that serious crashes lead to injuries that cost an arm and a leg, so to speak. If you sustain serious injuries like broken bones, you could be looking at job loss or at least having to go weeks or months without pay. In addition, your medical bills will continue to pile up before your very eyes. And with the new insurance laws for medical coverage, without a job, you might not have medical coverage to help with your bills, forcing you to seek more expensive coverage privately.

With the costs that may be facing you it is your right to file a lawsuit against the bus driver who caused the crash and the company they work for, asking for a settlement that will more appropriately meet your needs and the needs of your family until you are able to go back to work and take back your life.

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How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit for Injuries from a Bus Crash in Chandler, AZ?

When you're trying to recover from injuries, filing a lawsuit is not on your mind. It fact, it is probably the furthest thing from your mind at the time. The problem is that many victims think to themselves that they should focus only on their recovery and deal with everything else, including the settlement of their accident case, later. Some even tell themselves that the insurance company will do all the work for them. After all, you're paying your insurance company to take care of you in the event that you are ever involved in a crash, right? Unfortunately that's not always the case.

Even more unfortunately is that despite the fact that you are injured, you must still file your case in a timely fashion. And what you deem to be a timely fashion is not always good enough for the law. Arizona law defines the length of time that you have to file a case under the statute of limitations, and although in most cases it is two years, there are other factors that are weighed in determining the length you have to file your case. For some personal injury lawsuits, the statute of limitations is a 180 days. If you wait until you are out of the hospital and back on your feet to file a case, you may be too late.

For most victims, understanding the amount of time you have to file is something that isn't easy to understand. If you do not have a legal background you may misinterpret your own situation and determine that you have longer to file than you actually do. Unfortunately, “But I thought it was longer” will not hold up in a court of law and you will lose your right to file a case and get the compensation you deserve.

One call to an attorney with experience in handling Chandler auto accident cases can change all of that. But you must not wait until the deadline of your statute of limitations to call an attorney. It can take much longer than you think to build and file a case.

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Do I Really Need a Lawyer After a Crash?

It's up to you whether or not to hire an attorney for your personal injury lawsuit after a bus accident. The Husband & Wife Law Team understand that you are going through a difficult time and need someone to look out for your best interests. From the first phone call, you can expect our attorneys to help you understand your rights, to take hold of your case, and to fight for your right to collect appropriate compensation for your bills, wage loss, property damage, physical injuries, and drawn out recovery. To talk about your rights, the strength of your case, and what can be done for you right now and in the future, contact The Husband & Wife Law Team at (480) 496-7310 for a free case review.

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Additional Information

• Transit - City of Chandler