We help victims hurt in bus crashes in Bakersfield and across Kern County. When a careless bus driver makes a mistake and causes an accident, it’s often a city or county entity that should accept blame and provide victims with the support they need to recover.
Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield fights to make sure victims can pay for the medical care they require, and to support themselves while they can’t work.
If you have been hurt in a collision, contact a Bakersfield Bus Accident Lawyer for a free, no-obligation case consultation.
Make a Call to a Lawyer If Your Bus Accident Case Involves These Factors
The biggest determining factor for whether your case needs a lawyer’s protection is the cost of the medical care you need. The higher your bills go, the more you’ll need a lawyer.
A serious injury takes longer to heal and can keep you out of work for weeks or months. These factors quickly increase the value of your claim, and the out-of-control expenses only make city administrators work harder to avoid paying for all of it. This is a good time to talk to a lawyer.
City and County departments can afford government lawyers who can pick apart your case and even make it look like you caused a collision. Government agencies also have special legal protections that make filing claims and winning support extra difficult. These are all good reasons to turn your case over to our law firm.
A lawyer can often help you earn more for a bus accident claim if these types of serious injuries or others are involved:
- Broken bones (UCLA Health reports that a broken arm can take up to 8 weeks to fully heal. Physical Therapy to restore range of motion and strength is often a follow-up step)
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
- A neck injury, spinal column injury, and serious cases of whiplash
- A back injury
- Muscle, tendon, and ligament tears
- The serious injury of your child or another family member
Bus accident victims can always file a claim themselves. This may even be preferable in cases that only involve minor bumps and bruises. However, with a more involved injury, it’s a good idea to talk over how you’ll get the best outcome.
Support Available for Bus Accident Victims
Victims hurt in a bus accident must ask the City of Bakersfield or a transportation business for full support on all damages. These can be economic damages or the emotional toll a frightening bus accident can take.
Your Maison Law Accident & Injuries Lawyer would seek these and other benefits for clients:
- Support to cover all of your medical bills for as long as necessary.
- Long-term support for the future if a bus accident leaves you with a permanent disability.
- Support for the pain you experience and that you may suffer with for months or years.
- Support for the emotional trauma you experience. This might include anxiety after a scary collision, depression after a long, debilitating recovery, and PTSD symptoms.
- Support to replace paychecks and benefits you have to go without while you are in injury recovery. Support for longer if you can no longer handle your previous job duties. Full support in finding a new career.
- Support to cover the costs of travel to make local doctors’ appointments and to see out-of-town neurosurgeons and specialists.
The Bus Accident Dangers in Bakersfield
Buses are a great way to get around Bakersfield, and there are routes that roll through most of Kern County. Many people rely on these routes to get around, but they can also be put at risk when drivers get careless, and city departments are negligent in keeping all passengers safe.
Victims can be put at risk on a city bus, on a county route, or while taking a tour bus up into Sequoia National Forest or out to Death Valley. The dangers are present of those riding a bus and for those driving alongside giant buses.
These are a few of the ways people can be hurt in a bus accident:
- Injuries for Passengers: Victims riding inside a bus can receive a powerful jolt if the vehicle is struck by another vehicle or runs off the road. Buses can turn over or strike trees or cement pylons. Riders can be thrown from their seats to hit windows, metal walls, the floor, or even the ceiling. They may strike other passengers to suffer life-threatening injuries.
- Victims in Cars, Pickups, and SUVs: A bus driver in a hurry may accidentally clip the bumper of a smaller vehicle and send the occupants out of control. Drivers may get their vehicles totaled and have to face a long injury recovery, not to mention the costs of care.
- Motorcyclists Hurt in Bakersfield Bus Accidents: Careless bus drivers may forget to check mirrors and blind spots for a motorcyclist, changing lanes and sending a rider tumbling in traffic.
- Victims in Crosswalks and Bike Lanes: Pedestrians and cyclists are also at extreme risk. Bus drivers may be focused on intersection traffic and miss spotting someone on foot in a crosswalk. Drivers can also cut into a bus lane without looking to see if a rider is beside the vehicle. They can also go to make a right turn and cross over a bike lane without making sure it’s empty.
Making Sure At-Fault Parties Accept Liability for a Bus Accident in Bakersfield
The owners and operators of buses in Bakersfield would usually be fully responsible for the harm that came to passengers or those struck outside the bus. These transports are designated as common carriers by the federal government and are held to a higher standard of safety when it comes to customers and passengers.
It means bus companies and government entities can face liability even for minor acts of negligence that cause accidents.
These are a few of the bus business that may have to pay when passengers or motorists get hurt:
- Golden Empire Transit (GET): The city GET buses seen around Bakersfield. The City of Bakersfield would be liable for accidents harming riders or the harm done if a city employee strikes another vehicle or a defenseless pedestrian.
- Kern Transit: A bus network that connects Bakersfield to the far reaches of Kern County. Service goes out to places like Shafter, Ridgecrest, and Lancaster. Buses on the narrow lanes of Highway 178 or Highway 58 can end up in ditches and flipped over, or involving in powerful head-on collisions. Ultimately, Kern County is responsible for the safety of riders. Victims could file claims and lawsuits against the county.
- Longer Bus Trips: FlixBus and Greyhound are two companies that offer trips for people who need to go further. That might be down to Southern California or to another state. These companies must show passengers the utmost care and are liable if someone gets hurt or if a bus driver strikes someone.
- Tour Buses and Group Trips: Companies like GOGO Charters offer bus rides to see local attractions. These companies are liable if an accident harms passengers or an employee rams your vehicle. Schools and churches also book these buses and drivers. A touring company or a school might be held liable for an accident on a field trip. These businesses are also liable for the maintenance of safe buses. If bald tires or unreliable brakes cause a crash. The company can be fully liable.
In some cases, there may be more than one at-fault party to file a claim against. It’s best to let a skilled Bakersfield attorney determine where to direct your claim and how to secure the most for your recovery.
The Added Complexity of Bus Accident Claims Filed Against the City of Bakersfield
Many bus accident cases would be filed against private businesses, like Greyhound or a sightseeing company. You’d have up to two years to file your claim.
However, the deadline comes much sooner when it’s a city or county bus involved. In fact, government entities enjoy protections against litigation that make it harder to file claims and get help when you are hurting.
It’s definitely more difficult without the help of an experienced legal professional. Your attorney can help you with these complicated steps:
Filing for Permission: You would first need to alert the government of your claim and send in all of your paperwork and evidence. You need to have strong evidence to make sure government insurers can’t concoct a reason to reject your claim. A skilled attorney can definitely make sure your evidence is strong, showing their negligence.
Shorter Deadlines: This “notice of claim” must be sent to the government within six months of your accident, or it will be ignored. Insurers would be able to pay you for your damages or decide to toss out your claim. If you are rejected, you’d usually have just a few more months to decide if you wanted to sue the city or county. Your attorney would be helping you decide your best path to compensation.
Complicated Paperwork: Government cases come with complicated paperwork that must be filled out correctly. A lawyer can make sure your documents are accurate and tell the full story.
Contact a Bakersfield Bus Accident Lawyer
If you suffered a serious injury on a ride on Kern Transit or a GET bus or were struck by a bus driver, take advantage of a free case consultation. There’s no obligation, and it’s an easy way to figure out what the city or county should be supporting you with.
You may not have the money to hire a lawyer. But don’t worry. If you need us, we’re there. We only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company writes for you.