Car crashes involving a commercial bus, public transportation bus, or a school bus can be quite serious, and can easily result in many injuries or death – and the victims, as passengers on a bus, are often entirely innocent. The laws in Georgia regarding bus accidents will vary depending on what sort of bus is involved.
It is important to work with a bus accident lawyer near Sandy Springs to ensure that you recover the maximum possible compensation for your injuries.
Georgia state law and case law surrounding bus accidents are complex, and it can be difficult to ascertain which of these laws will apply to your particular bus accident claim. The accident lawyers at The Weinstein Firm have the knowledge and experience with bus accident cases to advise you exactly how the laws will apply to your case.
We will let you know about any critical deadlines, statutes of limitation, and laws applying to common carriers like public transportation. Call our personal injury lawyers near Sandy Springs today to schedule a free consultation!
Bus Accident Statistic in Sandy Springs, GA
Nationwide, buses carry about 360 million passengers over a combined total of 28 billion passenger miles. Among these buses, 30,000 are operated for tours, charters, or regular routes by one of more than 4,000 motorcoach operations.
Nearly 100,000 buses are registered for the purposes of public transportation nationwide, and if that sounds like a lot, there are more than half a million school buses carrying millions of children across the country. In addition, there are thousands upon thousands of smaller buses including shuttle buses, church activity buses, and other such organizational vehicles.
How safe is bus travel? Honestly, as bus accident lawyers near Sandy Springs, GA, we can report that it seems quite safe.
Nationwide, 11 children each year on average are killed in school bus accidents, and around four passengers per year on average are killed in motor coach bus accidents. These numbers are relatively low in terms of proportion to all such vehicles and passengers, but bus accidents do still occur, and these statistics say nothing about the frequency of injury in bus accidents.
Passenger Van Bus Accidents in Sandy Springs, GA
As Sandy Springs bus accident lawyers, we see many different types of bus accidents, but one of the most frequent involves the 15-passenger van. Many smaller organizations use these vehicles, including churches, charities, private schools, and so on, for the purposes of moving people, products, or other items.
Since these vans potentially carry a larger number of passengers than a typical car, they are a dangerous element to have in an auto accident. They are tall and stocky, and the additional weight of 15 passengers can serve to shift the vehicle’s center of gravity, making rollovers more likely.
As a result of the additional risks posed by these vehicles, many insurance companies have chosen to simply stop covering these passenger vans. Many organizations including the Georgia Department of Transportation have warnings against their use and recommend exercising extreme care while making turns in them.
Even the NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration, issued a statement reminding drivers that the risk of rollover in these small buses increases significantly with ten or more passengers on board.
Despite the warnings from the Georgia DOT, the US NHTSA, and the refusal of insurance companies to cover them, these buses continue to be produced and used. If you or someone you love has been involved in a bus accident in which one of these vehicles is involved, it is imperative that you contact a bus wreck lawyer near Sandy Springs as soon as possible.
If you were a passenger in a small bus when it crashed, you should not be liable for any of your medical fees, lost wages, or other damages. A bus accident lawyer will be able to help you determine and execute the appropriate legal actions against the vehicle’s owner, driver, manufacturer, and other relevant responsible parties.
Public Transportation Bus Accidents in Sandy Springs, Georgia
Anyone who uses public transportation via bus has probably noticed that these vehicles do not have seat belts or other safety equipment. While this may be good for passenger comfort, it raises the risk of injury significantly in the event of a bus accident in Sandy Springs.
Bus accidents can often involve a large number of injuries, significant property damage, and even death, so keep safety in mind while onboard these vehicles, and in the event of a bus accident, contact an experienced bus accident lawyer near Sandy Springs, Georgia as soon as you possibly can.
Insurance claims against MARTA or Sandy Springs public transportation systems can be challenging, both to understand and to execute, because of the reality of pursuing legal actions against government entities.
The experienced Sandy Springs bus accident lawyers here at The Weinstein Firm have experience with every sort of bus accident, including those involving public transportation. We can help you accomplish what needs to be done, and recover the full and fair compensation you deserve.
Sandy Springs Bus Accident Lawyers and School Bus Crashes
Among all bus accidents, school bus accidents are perhaps the most horrifying. These large, familiar yellow buses carry millions of children to and from school each year, and each year more than 10,000 of those children are injured in school bus crashes.
Many of these injuries, thankfully, are minor, but not all – and, as mentioned earlier, on average 11 children each year die as a result of a school bus accident. A relatively low number, to be sure, but in the opinion of our bus accident attorneys, it’s 11 too many.
Among the nearly half a million school buses nationwide carrying millions of children to and from schools, on school trips, and on other excursions, while accidents are rare, they do occur. Much like larger commercial and public buses, there are usually no seat belts for the passengers, resulting in the potential for serious injury in the case of an accident.
The number of school buses on the roads every day makes a school bus crash a near certainty each day. Many of these are minor, but a few are serious, and some of those are deadly. Personal injury attorneys near Sandy Springs are ready to help protect the innocent victims of such accidents, helping you to file a successful claim following school bus accident injuries.
If your child has been injured in a Sandy Springs, GA school bus accident, trust the experience of the bus wreck lawyers at The Weinstein Firm. We have the knowledge and experience to ensure that you get the full compensation you deserve, covering all your damages and losses as well as non-economic factors such as pain and suffering.
School Bus Accidents Involving Child Pedestrians
A school bus that has stopped to pick up children, or allow children to exit, has familiar yellow and red flashing lights. When this happens, all traffic on both sides of the bus is legally required to stop. This is true in all lanes of traffic, in any direction, whether or not there are children visible.
Unfortunately, sometimes a driver chooses to ignore this rule, endangering the lives of the children entering or exiting the bus. There is no school bus accident case that we as bus wreck lawyers near Sandy Springs dislike more than cases in which children pedestrians are injured or killed while getting on or off a school bus.
These cases, which are inherently tragic on their own, are even more difficult to accept, even as school bus accident attorneys, because they are usually entirely avoidable. If motorists obey the rules about driving around school buses, most of these incidents will not happen. In some rare cases, the school bus driver themselves strikes a child with the bus. In this case, there is a real possibility of direct legal action against the driver.
If your child has been injured while onboard a school bus – or worse, as a pedestrian while entering or exiting a school bus, there are unique laws applying to your situation. By reaching out to a school bus wreck lawyer, you will be able to determine and follow the best path forward and recover the maximum possible compensation for your damages and losses.
For additional information on school bus accidents, please contact an experienced bus accident lawyer here at The Weinstein Firm serving Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Shuttle Bus Accidents in Sandy Springs, GA
Local hotels, car dealerships, airports, and other such establishments often utilize small or large shuttle buses to transport passengers from one location to another. These buses afford the customers and others a great deal of convenience in travel, they are also fraught with risk.
Often, these shuttle buses are small, similar to a passenger van discussed earlier. As a result, they share the same risk of rollover as these vans. In addition, the low construction and sloped roof of many shuttle buses lead to the existence of blind spots on the roads, making a bus accident more likely.
Bus accident lawyers near Sandy Springs wish you to remember that anytime you or a loved one are involved in a bus accident, you should reach out to an experienced bus accident lawyer right away. You are never at fault for injuries incurred while you are a passenger in one of these vehicles.
We will assist you in the process of filing a claim against any and all responsible parties. We will fight to ensure you receive fair compensation for injuries, lost wages, or any pain and suffering incurred as a result of a bus accident in Sandy Springs.
How Can a Bus Accident Lawyer Near Sandy Springs Help My Claim?
No matter what the nature of your bus accident, the severity of your injuries, or even if the accident was fatal, if you were involved in a bus accident near Sandy Springs, Georgia, our bus accident lawyers are ready to listen to you. We will analyze the circumstances of your case, assemble all the available evidence, handle the interviewing of witnesses, and will take care of all the paperwork, including sending medical bills to appropriate insurance companies to be paid.
By working with a bus accident lawyer near Sandy Springs, Georgia, you will be able to focus on recovery, taking care of your injured family members, and putting your life back together. Let your attorney deal with the tedious stuff.
Here at The Weinstein Firm serving Sandy Springs, we’re proud to say that we have bus accident lawyers with the experience necessary to confidently and expediently advise you as to the value of your case, your rights, your options, and the potential compensation you may recover.
Get Help With Your Bus Accident Case!
Bus accidents may be relatively rare, but they are nonetheless serious. These vehicles are large and carry a large number of people, and as a result, the scope and frequency of injuries are much higher than in a more traditional car accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured on a MARTA bus, on a shuttle bus, on a charter bus or motor coach, or if your child was hurt in a school bus accident, you should contact a Sandy Springs car accident lawyer at The Weinstein Firm right away.
Here at The Weinstein Firm serving Sandy Springs, we’re proud to say that we have bus accident lawyers with the experience necessary to confidently and expediently advise you as to the value of your case, your rights, your options, and the potential compensation you may recover.
We are proud to have served injured victims from all around the Sandy Springs, GA region, so don’t take the complex law into your own hands. Contact a bus accident attorney at The Weinstein Firm today, and see that you get justice for yourself, your child, or your loved one today.
