Surviving a bus accident is likely to leave you with life-changing injuries. Bus accident victims often go through extensive emergency treatments, multiple surgeries, long-term rehabilitative therapies, and more, leaving them struggling to pay their bills and cover these intense costs.
You shouldn’t have to struggle alone. If you were injured in a Fort Wayne bus accident, you deserve to have compassionate and empathetic legal advice from an experienced attorney who can help you get justice.
At Yosha Law Firm, our attorneys understand just how awful a bus accident can be. We have come alongside countless accident victims to help them find justice, including compensation for their financial and non-economic losses.
- Facts About Bus Accidents in Fort Wayne
- Common Causes of Bus Accidents
- Understanding the role of negligence in a bus accident
- When You Need a Bus Accident Lawyer
- Choose Yosha Law Firm to walk alongside you as you recover from your injuries
Facts About Bus Accidents in Fort Wayne
Sadly, Fort Wayne is no stranger to bus accidents.
Although there is no precise data on the number of people injured or killed in bus accidents every year in the city, there is data from the state that tells a troubling story: bus accidents are responsible for numerous injuries every year in Indiana, and these accidents can be fatal.
You may remember some tragic bus accidents in Fort Wayne’s past, like the car-bus collision that killed three teenagers, including an 18-year-old who was 9 months pregnant. More recently, an elementary-aged child was injured in an accident when two school buses and a police vehicle struck a car in stand-still traffic on I-69.
There was also the tragic collision of two Citilink buses that resulted in the death of an 82-year-old Fort Wayne woman, who was a passenger on one of the buses.
Types of Fort Wayne bus accident victims
There are many ways that a person could end up injured in a bus accident. Bus accident victims include:
- Pedestrians
- Cyclists
- Drivers of other vehicles
- Passengers in other cars
- Bus passengers
Common bus accident injuries
Because of the size difference between a bus and other vehicles, these accidents often cause significant or even catastrophic harm. Even if a victim survives the accident, it is likely that the person will face significant health challenges for months and years to come. Often, these injuries can be permanent and life-altering.
To understand just how significant bus accident injuries can be, take a look at this list of common injuries:
- head injuries
- concussions
- traumatic brain injuries
- neck injuries
- whiplash
- herniated discs
- back injuries
- sprains
- strains
- herniated discs
- spinal cord injuries
- partial paralysis
- complete paralysis
- broken bones
- fractures of arms
- fractures of legs
- fractures of ribs
- internal injuries
- organ damage
- internal bleeding
- lacerations
- deep cuts
- burns
- soft tissue injuries
- sprains
- strains
- contusions
- facial injuries
- dental injuries
- eye injuries
- fractured facial bones
- psychological injuries
- post-traumatic stress
- anxiety
- depression
- crush injuries
Common Causes of Bus Accidents
Although every bus accident is unique from any other, there are some common trends when we look at the data. Although some accidents are truly unpreventable, many times they are caused by someone’s negligence, carelessness, or recklessness. In situations where criminal behavior caused the accident, the authorities will be involved. In most cases, liability will be assigned via a civil claim.
Some of the most common causes of bus accidents are:
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Improperly maintained vehicles
- Poor weather conditions or failure to adjust to weather conditions
- Improper passenger handling (overcrowding, improper loading and unloading, etc)
- Lack of driver training
- Reckless driving by other motorists
- Poor road conditions
- Driver impairment
When you consider these causes, you can see that negligence is often involved. It is important to understand what negligence is and what role it plays in a bus accident.
Understanding the role of negligence in a bus accident
Negligence is a legal concept that is used to identify who was at fault in an accident. In a personal injury lawsuit, such as a bus accident claim, your attorney’s responsibility is to prove who was responsible.
Negligence means that a person fails to exercise the appropriate level of care that any reasonable person would exercise in the same situation. In order for negligence to be the grounds of a legal claim, the actions (or the failure to act) must have caused harm or bodily injury to the accident victim.
In the context of a bus accident, negligence could be attributed to one or more of the following parties:
- The driver of the bus
- The bus company
- The municipality
- A company that manufactured faulty parts
- The driver of another vehicle
In some situations, it is even possible that a passenger on the bus could be held responsible for the reckless behavior that caused the accident.
Common forms of negligence in bus accidents include:
- The city failing to maintain the roads
- Driver negligence (speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, fatigued driving)
- The company’s failure to properly maintain the bus (faulty brakes, tires, or other mechanical issues)
- The company’s failure to provide adequate training or supervision of their drivers
- Any driver’s failure to follow traffic laws or regulations
- Negligent hiring or retention of unqualified drivers
Requirements for proving negligence in a Fort Wayne bus accident claim
To prove negligence, you must demonstrate that:
- The defendant had a duty of care to the victim
- The defendant breached that duty of care through either action or inaction
- The breach of duty caused the accident
- The accident caused injuries and financial losses for the victim
When You Need a Bus Accident Lawyer
The central role of a personal injury attorney is to serve as an advocate for those who have been injured in accidents that were caused by someone else’s negligence.
Unfortunately, insurance companies rarely pay out a fair amount that truly covers your costs, or the maximum payout via your coverage plan doesn’t come close to meeting all of your financial needs after the accident.
A Fort Wayne bus accident attorney can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and help you get the highest compensation amount possible. If the insurer refuses to negotiate a fair settlement, your attorney can prepare your case for a jury or bench trial. Most cases are resolved through negotiation, but your attorney should be prepared to take your case all the way to a judge or jury if necessary.
Your attorney can also:
- Help you collect evidence
- Find and hire expert witnesses
- Contact and interview eyewitnesses
- Ensure that all of your rights are protected
- Handle all of the legal paperwork, including court filings
- Answer your questions and help you understand the accident claim process
Common types of compensation after a bus accident
Compensation can come in the form of a settlement or a court award. Depending on the specific details of an accident, the amount of money can vary significantly from one accident to another. Typically, the more serious the accident, the larger the settlement or award, as serious accidents carry more damages.
Your attorney will help you identify all of your damages, including some you might not have even thought to include. (This is another reason why you want to have an experienced personal injury attorney on your side during the accident claim process!)
Economic damages may include:
- medical expenses (hospital bills, surgery, ambulance, doctor visits, medication, medical equipment, rehabilitation, physical therapy, etc.)
- lost wages (income lost from being unable to work during the recovery period)
- lost earning capacity (diminished ability to earn income in the future due to disabilities from your injuries)
- property damage (repair/replacement of damaged vehicle, mobility aids, personal property, etc.)
- household services (costs for hiring help with cleaning, cooking, childcare if injured prevented normal duties)
- transportation costs (alternate transportation like rental cars, taxis if unable to drive)
- home modifications (installation of ramps, handrails, lifts, etc. to make a home accessible)
- future medical costs (anticipated expenses for ongoing treatment, nursing care, accommodations)
- life care costs (projected costs for future living assistance, medical care for permanent disabilities)
- funeral/burial costs (in wrongful death cases)
- lost benefit value (lost value of sick days, vacation days, health insurance, etc. from employer)
Meanwhile, non-economic damages may include:
- pain and suffering (physical and mental anguish caused by the injuries)
- emotional distress (anxiety, fear, grief, trauma from the incident)
- loss of enjoyment of life (inability to participate in former hobbies, and activities due to injuries)
- loss of consortium (loss of intimacy and companionship in a spousal relationship)
- disfigurement (scarring or disfigurement resulting from the injuries)
- disability/impairment (loss of normal abilities like walking, seeing, hearing etc.)
- loss of reputation (injuries that harm a person’s standing in the community)
- hedonic damages (inability to experience pleasure/enjoyment of life from injuries)
- loss of independence (needing assistance with daily activities)
- physical impairment (limitations on mobility, strength, dexterity etc.)
- wrongful death
Choose Yosha Law Firm to walk alongside you as you recover from your injuries
The Fort Wayne bus accident attorneys at Yosha Law Firm are compassionate, knowledgeable, and thorough. Our firm has extensive experience fighting for the rights of victims like you.
Through a careful investigation and a meticulous process of preparation, we protect our clients’ rights every single day! We also charge based on contingency, which means that you only pay if we negotiate a settlement or win your case! Then, your fees are deducted from your total settlement or award. This means that there is no financial risk to you when you choose Yosha Law Firm to represent you.
Contact us for a free consultation and case review. We want to get to know you, the unique circumstances of your accident, and what you need in order to get better.
