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WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE INVOLVED IN A BUS ACCIDENT

On Behalf of | Aug 3, 2018 | Motor Vehicle Accidents |

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Many people make their morning commute by taking the bus to work every day. It’s terrifying when your bus gets into an accident. Often times it’s just an honest mistake that someone has made. Other times it’s because someone engaged in reckless behavior. The latter isn’t fair. When you’re involved in a bus accident, you need to know how what are the next steps you have the take and well as evidence which will help your case in court. 

WHAT STEPS DO I TAKE?

Getting into an accident can be very overwhelming. First and foremost, you must call 911 and seek medical attention. You may not think your injuries are great enough but you should still call anyways. Some symptoms don’t show up until later and this will help in terms of evidence. Some symptoms may include headaches, emotional changes, issues with concentration, or lightheadedness. If you fail to seek medical attention and your injuries were greater than you expected, then it will be harder to make a claim later. You also should call the police so that they can write a police report. You can obtain a copy of this police report from the local police department, the state police, or the city in which the accident occurred. It’s important that you take as many pictures and/or videos of the scene to help with your claim. Photo or video evidence is hard to discredit. You should get the witnesses perspective on the accident.

Get names, phone numbers, and addresses of the other passengers on board as well as from other vehicles that were involved or others who saw the accident. These procedures are pretty standard for any type of accident you may be involved in.

EVIDENCE TO HELP STRENGTHEN YOUR CASE

If you’re involved in an accident where the bus driver was negligent, it’s crucial that you provide many different pieces of evidence to strengthen your claim. Bus drivers have a duty of care when on the road and you must prove that this duty of care was not used. One mentioned previously that would really help strengthen your case is an eyewitness testimony. The statement from the eyewitness may help to prove negligence. For example, an eyewitness may testify that they saw the bus driver speeding. This would help prove a negligence case. Another example would be having an expert witness testimony. This will help in the case that you are injured and need proof of your injuries. An example of this would be bringing in a brain specialist to speak on brain injuries you’ve suffered as a result of the accident.

Getting into any kind of accident can be tremendously scary. When you get on the bus for your commute you expect it go smoothly as normal. This isn’t always the case. Sometimes unfortunate circumstances cause your bus to get into an accident. Sometimes it’s your bus driver’s negligence that causes the accident. It’s unfair. When dealing with this type of tragedy, you need people on your side who are experienced and will help educate you on all the options you can take. Contact our knowledgeable San Diego bus accident attorneystoday. Call Hiden Rott & Oertle , LLP today at at our office for a free consultation. Or you can fill out this contact form.

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