People in Framingham often take the bus to go to work, school, and get to important appointments. While the bus is often a reliable mode of transportation, accidents have been known to happen, and passengers and other drivers on the road are often badly hurt. If this sounds like your current situation, a lawyer can help you file legal action to get compensation.
Bus accidents usually happen quickly, and victims often have a fuzzy recollection of what happened. Your first order of business is to find evidence that shows what went wrong and who is responsible. Poor bus driver training, intoxication, and speed are just a few possible factors. Negligent bus drivers and their employers should be held responsible. We can sue a private bus company for damages or even governmental entities connected with public transportation.
For a confidential, free case evaluation, call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 and talk to our bus accident attorneys.
How Bus Accidents Happen
Bus accidents are often hard to see coming, and determining exactly what happened will help us determine who is responsible and where we can find evidence to prove it.
Bus drivers must be properly trained and licensed to drive a bus safely. If they are poorly trained or inexperienced, an accident may be more likely. The authorities investigating the accident may be able to determine whether the driver made a mistake and whether that mistake was due to poor job training from their employer.
Unfortunately, intoxication is a common cause of many auto accidents, including bus accidents. The bus driver might have been under the influence when they started work, or maybe they were drinking throughout their shift. Alternatively, another driver on the road might have been intoxicated and collided with the bus.
One of the most frequently occurring factors in bus accident cases is a high rate of speed. Buses cannot stop quickly, and if a bus driver is speeding, they might be unable to stop if another vehicle gets in their way. Bus drivers might end up slamming the brakes and swerving into traffic, leading to serious injuries for many.
Possible Evidence to Support Your Framingham Bus Accident
A judge and jury will not simply take your word as proof of the defendant’s negligence. Our bus accident lawyers need evidence that proves how the defendant caused the bus accident. Finding evidence is often considered one of the most difficult aspects of many civil cases.
In today’s world, security cameras are almost everywhere, even on buses. We should ask the bus company involved in the accident if they have access to security camera footage and ask that they turn it over. We might also find videos of the accident from nearby security cameras in the area around the crash.
Bus accidents are not usually isolated events, and numerous other people might have been nearby or directly involved. Passengers on the bus, other drivers on the road, and pedestrians waiting to be picked up at a bus stop might all provide valuable testimony to support your case.
Some bus accidents are so complex that we must rely on accident reconstruction experts to determine what happened. Bus accidents tend to be more serious and inflict more damage due to the size of the bus. Multiple vehicles and people might be involved, and an expert can pick apart the case and scientifically determine what went wrong.
Who May Be Liable for a Bus Accident
One of the trickiest parts of a bus accident is determining who should be held responsible, as more than one person or entity may bear some blame.
Negligent bus drivers should be held accountable if they cause an accident. As mentioned before, many accidents stem from bus driver negligence. Speeding, poor training, distractions, or even intoxication are all possible factors.
If the bus driver is responsible for the accident, their employer may be held vicariously liable under the legal theory of respondeat superior. Essentially, if an employee causes injuries by acting negligently while in furtherance of their job duties, their employer may also be held liable. This means we can sue the bus company that hired the driver.
If the bus driver was a government employee, such as a bus driver working for a public transportation service, governmental entities may be implicated in the case. The MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) is a public transportation entity in the region and may be involved in the case. Under Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 258 § 4, we must present your claim in writing to the executive office of the defendant within 2 years of when the cause of action arose before we can move forward with the case.
What Your Framingham Bus Accident Case Might Be Worth
To get all the compensation you are entitled to, we need to assess your damages accurately. If anything is unaccounted for or undervalued, you risk losing compensation when you need it the most.
A major component of your claim is non-economic damages related to your personal experiences from the accident. Many bus accident victims endure serious pain while dealing with intense emotional trauma and distress. The accident might leave you with psychological scars that take years to heal, and your quality of life might suffer.
Another major component is your economic damages, which should cover all your monetary expenses incurred directly from the bus collision. Chief among these damages are medical bills, property damage, lost income if you cannot go back to work, and vehicle repairs if you were driving your car.
The Right Time to Call a Lawyer About Your Bus Accident Case
While you might need some time to think about your next move while recovering from your injuries, you should get in touch with a lawyer sooner rather than later.
Plaintiffs have a limited amount of time to file civil claims before their claims are time-barred. The statute of limitations under Mass. Gen. Laws Ch 260 § 2A gives you 3 years from the date of the accident to file your case in court. Considering that many cases take months or even over a year to prepare, this is a very tight timeframe. It is best to get started as soon as possible.
Call Our Framingham Bus Accident Lawyers About Your Case
For a confidential, free case evaluation, call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407 and talk to our bus accident attorneys.