Englewood Bus Accident Lawyer
Every day, people in the Englewood area use buses. Schoolchildren use school buses to get to school, and workers use commuter and transit buses to get to work. Although buses usually get people to their daily destinations safely, accidents involving buses could still occur. Due to the size of a bus, when they get into accidents, very often those accidents result in serious personal injuries.
If you were involved in a bus accident, you might be looking at a challenging recovery, and you might be facing a great deal of unexpected medical expenses. A financial judgment from the people responsible for the accident that caused your injuries could be obtained with the help of an experienced attorney. Reach out to an Englewood bus accident lawyer as soon as possible to see if you might be entitled to financial restitution.
What are the Common Causes of Bus Accidents?
After an accident, local legal representatives would work to identify all of the involved parties and determine what caused the accident and who was at fault. They would investigate the scene of the accident, and carefully examine any available evidence, such as the driver’s logs, cellphone records, and blood alcohol tests, and the bus maintenance records.
Accidents Caused by Driver Negligence or Recklessness in Englewood
As with other motor vehicle accidents, the first place that most people look to assign blame to is the driver. Since buses are so large and because they carry so many people, bus drivers are held to a higher driving standard. In Colorado, bus drivers need to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL), and they need to pass other safety certifications and tests. Even with all of those safeguards in place, however, bus drivers are still responsible for the majority of bus accidents due to the following reasons:
- Fatigue: fatigue affects all drivers, but it can be particularly troublesome for bus drivers who spend long hours on the road every day
- Distracted driving: sometimes bus drivers cause accidents when they use their cellphones to text or make calls while driving
- Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs: Drivers who drive while intoxicated or with a hangover and drivers who drive after using recreational or prescription drugs can cause accidents
- Speeding or other forms of reckless driving: often, bus drivers feel pressured to adhere to their schedules, so they may face the temptation to speed or otherwise drive recklessly
In cases where bus driver error caused the accident, skilled Englewood attorneys would look to see if anyone else bears legal responsibility. Bus companies are supposed to follow safety protocols to protect the drivers and the public. They are supposed to limit the number of hours that a driver can work to avoid problems with driver fatigue, and they are responsible for hiring skilled drivers. If a claimant can demonstrate that a bus company was aware that their driver had a record of drunk driving, they can pursue a claim against that bus company.
Accidents Caused by Mechanical Errors
Bus accidents also happen because of faulty bus equipment. Sometimes buses have inherent manufacturing defects that cause accidents. At other times, accidents occur when bus parts have become worn down. Bus companies also have a duty to ensure that their buses are safe. They need to hire safety inspectors to look for potential defects, and they need to hire mechanics to fix any problems and to service their buses regularly. Experienced local attorneys will review the maintenance records of the bus company to see if they adequately serviced and maintained their buses. If a mechanic hired by the bus company failed to notice a mechanical problem that then caused a bus to lose control and hit a pedestrian, then the family of that pedestrian could sue the mechanic as well as the bus company.
Call for Legal Assistance Today
If you sustained severe injuries in a bus accident, you should reach out for competent legal assistance. You should look for a law firm that will aggressively fight for your rights to compensation for the injuries that you suffered. Schedule an initial consultation today with an Englewood bus accident lawyer to see if you might be entitled to receive compensation for your losses.
