On the morning of Wednesday, August 19, 2020, shortly before 11 a.m., there was an accident involving a Metro Rapid Bus and a Volkswagen Beetle. The incident occurred on the 4200 block of Whittier Boulevard near South Downey Road in East Los Angeles. The Volkswagen Beetle involved in the accident ended up nearly cut in half in front of the Metro bus (because it was slammed against a pole). The accident resulted in twelve people suffering injuries, based on information from the fire department. Two of the injured suffered critical injuries, while the other injured parties suffered only minor injuries.
A 17-year-driver, presumably the driver of the Volkswagen Beetle, was arrested under the suspicion of driving under the influence.
Did you or a member of your family suffer harm in a bus accident? Whether you or your family were involved in the bus accident mentioned above or a separate incident, you might have grounds to pursue a claim. Specifically, you might have grounds to file a personal injury accident for the bus accident. Based on the details surrounding the claim and the harm suffered, you might also be eligible to recover monetary compensation for the harm resulting from the bus accident.
Are you interested in exploring the legal options available to you and your family? If so, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm as soon as possible. You can trust that the bus accident attorneys at our firm are ready to provide you with the guidance that you need to pursue your claim.
At Normandie Law Firm, our lawyers have many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, including bus accident claims among other personal injury claims. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your current situation and guide you throughout the legal process. If you would like to learn more about your right to sue after you or a member of your family were involved in a bus accident, contact the experts at our firm at your earliest convenience.
Common Injuries Associated with Bus Accidents
Bus accidents, like all other types of vehicular accidents, can lead to a number of injuries. Some of the injuries that the people involved in bus accidents could suffer include the following:
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Cranial injuries
- Facial injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Knee injuries
- Hip injuries
- Fractures
- Lacerations
- Impalement
- Punctured organs
- Nerve damage
- Torn ligaments
- Muscle damage
- Scrapes and bruising
- Strains and sprains
- Road burn
Regardless of the specific harm that you or a member of your family suffered, it is important that you are aware that you might have legal grounds to sue for the harm suffered (based on the details surrounding the incident.
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Some Causes of Bus Accidents
The bus accident mentioned above appears to have been associated with driving under the influence. DUI is a common cause of vehicular accidents, including bus accidents. Other common causes of accidents include unqualified (unlicensed) driving, inexperienced driving, distracted driving, mechanical failures, and defective roads, for example. Could the bus accident that you experienced be attributed to any of the common causes mentioned above? If so, your accident might have been a result of the negligent actions of a party or entity – and you might have grounds to sue.
Understanding Liability in Bus Accidents
Who is liable for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered due to a bus accident? Establishing liability is an essential step in taking action after being harmed in an accident. Liability depends on the specific cause of the accident and the parties/entities involved. To establish liability, the following four elements of negligence must be present:
- Duty of care – a party or entity owes you a duty of care
- Breach of duty – a party or entity breached the duty of care owed to you
- Cause – the breach of duty leads to an incident
- Harm – the incident directly results in harm to the innocent party
Based on the details surrounding the incident, multiple parties could be liable for the accident. For example, the bus company – whether it is Metro LA or any other company – could be liable if they breached their duty of care towards the public. Their duty of care consists of a few things, including ensuring the safety of their buses and the competency of their drivers, for example. Likewise, drivers could also be liable – because all drivers on the road have a duty to drive safely and cautiously to prevent any accidents. Similarly, mechanics could also be liable; mechanics have the duty to ensure that the vehicles that they work on are safe to be driven on roads. In addition, city and county agencies, such as the ones responsible for the maintenance of roads, can be liable because they can fail to exercise their duty of care of ensuring that roads are safe for drivers.
If you would like to learn more about liability for bus accidents and your right to pursue a bus accident claim for the harm that you or a member of your family suffered, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm as soon as possible.
Suing for Monetary Compensation
Depending on the details surrounding your bus accident and the harm that you or a member of your family suffered, you might have grounds to sue and recover monetary compensation. How much compensation could you be eligible to receive? What type of compensation could you recover? Based on the details surrounding your claim, you could recover compensation for some of the following:
- Medical bills
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Property damage
- Funeral costs
- Burial costs
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages
Could you recover all the compensation listed above? The type and amount of compensation that you are eligible to receive will always depend on the details surrounding your claim. Therefore, you should speak with an experienced bus accident attorney to learn more about the type and amount of compensation that you could receive. By allowing the knowledgeable personal injury attorneys at our firm to handle your claim, you can trust that our experts will be dedicated to helping you recover the compensation that you are owed.
What Should You Do?
If you or a member of your family suffered a bus accident, you should quickly take action to prepare to pursue a claim. You should do the following:
- Seek medical attention for all the injuries suffered
- Take photos of the injuries caused by the bus accident
- Take photos and videos of the scene of the accident
- Report the accident to the appropriate authorities
- Report the accident to the bus company
- Contact your insurance company to report the incident (if applicable)
- If witnesses were present, speak to them and gather their testimonies and contact information
- Collect medical records
- Collect records of any property damage
- Collect records of any other losses directly caused by the accident (such as lost wages)
- Gather any surveillance footage that captured the bus accident
- Seek the expertise of a bus accident lawyer immediately
Filing Your Claim As Soon As Possible
If you or a member of your family experienced a bus accident, you must act immediately to ensure that you preserve your right to sue. You could, unfortunately, lose your right to sue if you fail to file your claim within the appropriate length of time. This is because all personal injury claims are subject to a deadline – or a statute of limitations. The statute of limitations ensures that claimants file their claims promptly (this keeps things fair for defendants). If claimants do not file their claims within the time allowed by the statute of limitations that applies, claimants can lose their right to sue.
In California, personal injury claims are subject to a two-year statute of limitations. This gives claimants two years to pursue their claims; this deadline could be tolled or paused if any exceptions apply (strictly based on the details surrounding the claim). Are you pursuing your claim against a city or county entity? If so, you might be filing a government claim, which is subject to different deadlines. Government claims must be filed with the specific agency within six months; after the claim is rejected (which is likely), you will have only one year to file your claim.
It is essential that you have a thorough understanding of the total length of time that you have to sue. If you would like to learn more about the statute of limitations that applies to your claim, do not hesitate to contact the experts at our firm today.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
Were you or a member of your family involved in a bus accident that resulted in harm or damages? If so, do not hesitate to contact the bus accident lawyers at Normandie Law Firm at your earliest convenience. Our experienced personal injury lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with the guidance that you need to hold the at-fault party or entity accountable for the harm suffered.
At Normandie Law Firm, we offer free legal services. Our free legal services include both free consultations and free second opinions, during which our bus accident attorneys will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. Our bus accident lawyers will provide you with all the information that you need to either begin or continue your bus accident claim. To benefit from our free legal services, contact our firm today.
At our firm, we offer a Zero-Fee guarantee; this means that our clients will not have to worry about upfront expenses. Our firm is also based on contingency, meaning that our clients will not have to pay anything until after winning their claims.
Are you ready to speak to our bus accident attorneys? If so, contact our firm as soon as possible and request to speak with our attorneys immediately.
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