Wakefield, MA Bus Accident Lawyer

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Injuries from bus accidents can be extreme, and many bus accident victims do not survive or are injured permanently. The aftermath of a bus accident can be difficult to deal with and extremely expensive. An attorney can assist you in getting financial compensation.

Picking up the pieces after a bus accident can be difficult because there are so many ways in which the accident might happen, and people might be injured. You might claim significant damages for bodily harm, property damage, and emotional and physical pain and suffering. Bus accidents might occur almost anywhere, including local roads and interstate highways. The location of your accident might influence the extent of the damage and your injuries. Generally, bus drivers are the primary defendants in bus accident lawsuits, but their employers or even the government might also be responsible. You should speak to a lawyer immediately about what damages you can claim, who should be held liable, and the evidence you need to prove your case.

Speak with our bus accident lawyers to schedule a free review of your case by calling the Law Office of John J. Sheehan at (617) 925-6407.

How You Might be Injured in a Bus Accident in Wakefield, MA

Injuries and damages in bus accident cases are often severe, even catastrophic. Physical injuries from bus accidents often result in serious complications and possible permanent damage or disabilities. Spinal cord injuries, brain damage, nerve damage, and other injuries that often lead to long-term complications are common.

With severe injuries come high medical bills, and many bus accident survivors cannot afford to pay such exorbitant medical bills. Emergency treatment, surgery, medication, physical therapy, and devices like wheelchairs, crutches, or prostheses are not cheap. Our bus accident lawyers can calculate and account for these damages in your lawsuit.

You should also consider the cost of lost or destroyed property. If you were driving your own vehicle when hit by a bus, your vehicle might be damaged or totaled. Repairs or a replacement car might be very expensive, which should be accounted for in your damages. You must also claim the value of lost personal belongings. Perhaps your laptop was destroyed in the crash, and you lost your valuable engagement ring. The money to replace personal belongings should not be disregarded.

Not all your damages are rooted in the money you lost or bills you incurred. Some injuries cannot be measured in dollars and cents, but they still deserve financial compensation. Your physical and emotional pain and suffering might be great, especially if the crash was traumatic.

Near-death experiences can really rattle a person’s mental health. Accident survivors often spend months or even years coping with the trauma from the crash. These painful experiences might be hard to place a dollar value on, but they should be compensated, nonetheless.

Where and How Bus Accidents Can Happen in Wakefield, MA

Bus accidents might happen anywhere that buses travel. While many buses make long trips across state and interstate highways, many others operate on local routes, staying on local roads. One major highway that runs through Wakefield is I-95 along the Yankee Division Highway. This is an extremely busy highway, and buses often use those routes to get in and out of Wakefield or to pass through the area. A bus accident here might be devastating since speed limits are higher on the highway.

Bus accidents also happen on local roads throughout Wakefield. Some more heavily trafficked local roads include Main Street, Albion Street, and North Avenue. These roads traverse large portions of the city, and buses frequent these routes on a daily basis. Just because a bus accident occurs on a local road where speed limits might be lower than on a highway does not mean they are not just as dangerous. Injuries and damages might still be staggering.

Many bus accidents are related to bus driver negligence. Texting or making phone calls while driving is a huge concern on the road today. Talk to an attorney immediately if you noticed your bus driver on their phone before the accident.

Another possibility is that the driver, or another driver on the road, committed a traffic violation that ultimately caused the collision. Speeding, failing to signal, recklessly changing lanes, or blowing through red lights are common examples of traffic violations that cause serious crashes.

Responsibility for Bus Accidents in Wakefield, MA

In many bus accident lawsuits, the bus driver is the primary defendant, although there might be others. Since the bus driver was behind the wheel and responsible for maintaining bus safety, they may be liable for the crash. Even if the bus driver did not cause the collision, they might be liable for failing to avoid it.

When suing the bus driver, you can also sue the bus driver’s employer, depending on the circumstances. When an employee causes injuries and damages through their own negligence in the course of their job duties, their employer can sometimes be held vicariously liable. The negligence must have occurred within the scope of the employee’s job or in furtherance of job duties. If the bus driver was off-duty or making an unauthorized trip, their employer might not be vicariously liable.

If the bus that hit you was part of a public transportation network, you might be able to sue the government entity in charge of the bus lines. Wakefield has somewhat limited public transportation, with only a handful of bus routes serviced by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act, claims can be filed against government entities, such as public transit authorities.

Claims against the government are often limited in ways regular claims are not. Your damages might be capped at certain amounts, and you must submit a notice of your claim to the government within 2 years of the accident. On top of that, you can only move forward with your lawsuit once the government has accepted or rejected your claims.