Bus accidents are more complicated than most automobile accidents. Each passenger is a plaintiff, and the sheer number of people makes it somewhat confusing. Unfortunately, victims can be left with enormous bills, and it is imperative for them to recover compensation for their losses.
Contact a knowledgeable bus accident lawyer in Snellville to ensure you are well-represented if you or a loved one have been injured in a collision.
Preventable Bus Accidents in Snellville
Like most accidents, driver care plays a significant role in avoiding them. Here are some examples of preventable accidents:
- Distracted driving causes accidents, and in a bus-driving situation, distractions are plentiful. Drivers should keep their eyes on the road.
- Driver Error often is to blame for accidents. Any mistake the driver makes risks injuring his passengers, other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
- Difficult Weather Conditions such as icy roads, thick fog, or heavy rain can make driving a bus challenging. Adding another level of difficulty to their jobs, the weather can cause a typically safe driver to make mistakes.
- Vehicle Defects and Maintenance Issues cause accidents. The driver and the business they drive for are responsible for the vehicle.
- Improper Maneuvering is cited as the cause of many accidents. Buses are big, heavy, and difficult to steer, especially in tight places.
- Impaired Driving, whether drugs or alcohol, can be a preventable cause of bus accidents.
You’ll want to contact a bus accident attorney in Snellville if you have been in a bus accident. Proper representation is crucial.
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Who Else Is Responsible for a Bus Accident in Snellville?
In addition to the driver’s responsibility, the city or the commercial bus line could also hold some blame.
- Was the driver qualified?
- Was he trustworthy?
- Did he receive the necessary training?
If the answer to these questions is no, the bus driver’s employer may be accountable for the accident. Accidents can happen because of the errors of other drivers. The police officers evaluating the scene would assign fault to another driver if they caused the accident.
A Snellville bus accident attorney will investigate your accident and will determine who caused the accident or what should have been done to prevent it from happening in the first place. This could be something like a failure of the bus company to service the bus’s brakes, making it difficult for the bus driver to come to an emergency stop in traffic.
Medical Evaluations After a Snellville Bus Accident Are Vital to Your Case
Accidents are scary and often painful. The chaos of an accident is multiplied by the number of passengers involved in a bus accident. Remain calm, check on other involved parties and call 911.
Whether you feel injured or not, you should immediately have a medical evaluation. Medical professionals can evaluate your injuries. After an accident, adrenaline spikes, and sometimes a person involved could be experiencing shock which can dull the pain of an injury.
It’s essential to receive treatment as soon as the accident occurs. This simple act can head off more severe complications than if an injury is ignored.
Possible Injuries After a Snellville Bus Accident
After a bus accident, one might experience many injuries. Your medical professional will evaluate your injuries which could include the following:
- Broken bones
- Soft tissue damage
- Head injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Burns
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Whiplash
- Flesh wounds and bruising
Injuries can range from scratches and bruises to catastrophic injuries. It is vital to seek treatment immediately. Your first stop should be visiting a doctor. And your first call should be to a bus accident attorney in Snellville.
According to Georgia law, you have two years to file your claim. But, financially, many people cannot afford to wait that long.
Seeking Damages After a Bus Accident in Snellville
A Snellville bus accident attorney can evaluate the accident and your injuries and determine what you are entitled to as compensation. The more serious the damage, the more potential there is for a larger compensation package.
Here are some possible damages from which you or a loved one may seek recovery:
- Wrongful Death is the most difficult loss one can face.
- Pain and Suffering can linger long after an accident takes place. It’s impossible to know how long it will last.
- Emotional trauma includes stress about paying for medical treatments, loss of work, or residual fear and trauma from the collision.
- Replacement or Repair of the Vehicle will be included if the bus hits your vehicle.
- Loss of Consortium is paid to the spouse of the accident victim. It can include the loss of enjoyment, sexual relations, comfort, and a loss of ability to have children.
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life is often hard to quantify, but it is important to evaluate when seeking damages.
- Property Damage comes into play when the bus destroys something like landscaping, a gate, or a building. Or if a bus passenger has property on the bus that is destroyed, like a bicycle or a surfboard that is broken in the accident.
- Loss of Income or Future Earnings can be one of the most stressful parts of an accident. If you miss work or your injury causes you to miss earning opportunities, your Snellville bus accident lawyer will ensure that the money lost is included in your suit.
- Medical Expenses can pile up so quickly after a bus accident. Potential exams, therapies, treatments, surgeries, ER and doctor visits, hospital or intensive care stays, prescriptions, rehabilitation, and equipment costs exist.
- Punitive Damages, while not required, may be awarded to punish those at fault and deter others in the community from such actions as those that caused the bus accident.
In a civil case, all physical damages are presumed to be recoverable under the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) §51-1-6.
Let the Strong Arm of Georgia Fight for You
If you have been injured in a bus accident, you need the support of a bus accident attorney in Snellville to aid you in getting the settlement you are due. We will investigate your case, review the evidence, and account for all the losses you have withstood and the bills that may have mounted.
We have experience dealing with civil suits and insurance companies. Choosing John Foy & Associates is crucial to getting a generous settlement. Contact us today so that we can begin fighting for you.
404-400-4000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form