Did You Get In A Bus Accident? 4 Things You Must Know

Contact Us Today You’re driving your car, obeying the rules of the road. You don’t see it happening. All of a sudden a Phoenix city bus hits you. Now what? City bus accidents are not like auto accidents When you have an auto accident, the rules are usually pretty clear. You exchange insurance information with the driver, file a police report, and you contact Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, your personal injury attorney, if you’ve been hurt. But what happens when the vehicle that hits your car is a city bus? The rules can change, that’s for sure. The process of dealing with the case is more complex because you’re no longer dealing with an individual – you’re dealing with a large corporation or possibly a government agency. If you or a family member have been hit by a Phoenix city bus, we can help you find a solution. Who is at fault in a city bus accident case? When you have been in an accident involving a city bus, you need to understand that the city bus may not belong to the city. Occasionally city buses are not actually owned by the city. What appears to be a city bus is actually a bus owned by a private company contracted to provide services for the city. These issues are also complicated by the typical causes of a city bus accident: Distracted driver Poorly trainer driver Intoxicated driver Driver Fatigue Poor or improper vehicle maintenance Manufacturer defect on the vehicle or vehicle systems Truly, there are many factors that come into play when evaluating the cause and responsibility for your city bus accident injury. This has the expected outcome of making a complicated issue (dealing with a personal injury case), more difficult. Why is it so difficult to pursue a city bus accident case? One element of dealing with an injury case from a bus accident is addressing the ownership of the bus. If it is in fact owned or operated by a city or municipality, there are distinct rules to follow when pursuing a claim a governmental entity in order to avoid losing your claim. Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer has worked with many city bus cases and we know that every case is unique. Too often we hear stories of people involved in bus accidents who thought they followed the rules for pursuing a case only to find out later that important notices were not sent, we sent incorrectly or were not sent in time, and their claims were dismissed. Failure to follow the rules can result in a dismissal without having a chance to present an argument. We at the Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer are keenly aware of these notice requirements and make sure a notice of claim is pursued quickly to get the issues out in front of the relevant government agency and to avoid hitting statutes of limitation issues and other problems. Just because the accident happened doesn’t mean you or your loved ones should be left without proper compensation. We will dig deep to finding out the root cause of the commercial vehicle accident so we can aggressively pursue the right parties and get you the compensation you deserve! It’s time for a free case review from the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer. Contact us or call the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 for a free case review today.

Contact Us Today Your children leave for the bus stop and you think they’re in good hands. Sadly that’s not always the case. Bus drivers understand they’re carrying precious cargo and do their best to drive safely but accidents can happen. One distracted moment, or another driver losing control of their vehicle, and everything changes. What happens when there is a school bus accident? School bus accidents are different than car accidents. During a car accident you exchange insurance information with the other drivers and file a claim with your insurance company. You may file a police report. If you’ve been injured, you call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, your personal injury attorney. It can be complicated and messy in its own right, but the process of calling the police, getting the other driver’s contact information, and filing an insurance claim is relatively straightforward. Who is at fault for a school bus accident? We need to understand how the accident happened to determine who is at fault. There are many factors that can result in an accident happening including but not limited to: Fatigued drivers Poorly trained drivers Intoxicated drivers Distracted drivers Mechanical failures due to poor maintenance Needless to say, determining the fault and the extent of that fault is not a simple matter. We review evidence from the accident including witness statements, maintenance logs, video evidence, and physical evidence from the vehicle itself. During this investigative process we’ll find out who the responsible parties are and the role that they played in the accident. Depending who is at fault will determine who may be pursued as part of a claim. School buses and “notice of claim.” When dealing with school bus accidents in particular, it is very important that the proper school officials and government entities receive what is called a “notice of claim.” In short, in order to pursue your claim against these officials or entities, a notice of your claim needs to be given, and given properly, within 180 days of the accident or you risk losing your claims altogether. This is much different than your run-of–the-mill auto accident where you have two years from the accident to bring a lawsuit before the statute of limitations runs. You need Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, an experienced personal injury lawyer, to pursue your claim by: Investigating the accident. Gathering evidence, medical bills, photos, accident reports, witness statements, and insurance policies. Properly filing your notice of claim. Filing a lawsuit if your case cannot be settled. Assisting in completing lengthy and burdensome discovery requests from the defense attorneys. And ultimately representing you at mediation, arbitration and/or trial. Each Phoenix school bus accident is different. Working with Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer will give you peace of mind that your case is being handled by an experienced personal injury attorney who understand the complexities of school bus accidents and bringing claims against government entities. We will keep you updated as your case progresses and will contact you to schedule follow-up meetings. It’s time for a free case review from the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer. Contact us or call the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 for a free review today.