Bus Accident Attorney in Albany

Bus accidents can be traumatic and life-changing events. These large, cumbersome vehicles can do serious damage in the event of a collision, often leaving victims in pain, unable to work, and struggling under the weight of expensive medical bills. If you’ve been hurt in a bus accident in Albany, GA, get the legal help you need to protect your rights and seek the compensation you deserve. Contact Parker Trial Law to speak with an Albany, GA, bus accident attorney, and let us start work on your case right away.

Benefits of Hiring an Albany, GA, Bus Accident Attorney

Hiring an Albany, GA, bus accident lawyer from Parker Trial Law can provide several advantages in your case. We can:

• Investigate the Accident – Our attorneys have extensive experience handling high-stakes cases involving serious injuries, like bus accident cases. We begin every case by thoroughly investigating the accident to determine liability and gather supporting evidence.
• Calculate Fair Compensation – Our attorneys will consult with medical and financial professionals to calculate what the bus accident has cost you and how much the at-fault party owes you.
• Negotiate for a Settlement – Our attorneys will negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement covering all your injury expenses. Insurance companies often attempt to exploit injured victims by offering low settlements. However, our attorneys always prepare to go to trial to seek the bus accident compensation you deserve.
• Represent You at Trial – If the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement in your case, our attorneys will continue to seek the maximum compensation for your bus injury by filing your bus accident lawsuit and representing you at trial.

Why Are Bus Accident Injury Claims so Complex?

Bus accident claims can be complex because they often involve multiple parties, and gathering the necessary evidence to hold all parties liable can be challenging. Some of the key factors contributing to the complexity of bus accident claims include:

• Determining Liability – Multiple parties may be liable for your injuries, including the bus driver, the bus company, other motorists, or government entities. Identifying all responsible parties and proving their liability requires a thorough investigation.
• Obtaining Evidence – Depending on which parties are liable for the accident, your case will involve different pieces of evidence. For example, driver logs, traffic camera footage, bus maintenance records, or internal bus company documents may be vital to proving who’s to blame. An experienced bus accident attorney can assist you in obtaining these pieces of evidence.
• Calculating Future Costs – Bus accidents can result in long-term or permanent disabilities, requiring ongoing medical care and impacting your ability to work. Your attorney will work with medical and financial experts to seek compensation that fully accounts for the ways your injuries will affect you in the future.

What to Do After a Bus Accident

If you are injured on a city bus or in a school bus accident, knowing what steps to take is crucial for protecting your health and your legal rights. After a bus accident, you should:

• Report the Accident – Report the accident to local law enforcement and request a copy of their official report. You may need this police report when filing your initial insurance claim.
• Document the Scene – If you can, take photos of the accident scene, all vehicles involved, and your visible injuries. If you can’t take these photos yourself, try to have someone else take them for you. Your attorney will use these photos as evidence in your bus accident case.
• Collect Contact Information – Before leaving the scene, collect the contact information of all drivers involved and any witnesses. You should also ask the bus driver for the contact information of their employer, as the employer may ultimately be liable for your injuries.
• Seek Medical Care – Even if you feel fine after the accident, you should seek medical attention in case you have underlying injuries that aren’t displaying obvious symptoms yet. Seeking immediate and ongoing medical care is also vital for your personal injury claim, as it shows you took your injury seriously.
• Consult a Bus Accident Attorney – It’s essential that you speak to an experienced bus accident attorney before speaking to an insurance adjuster or representative of the bus company. Insurance companies will try to get you to admit fault so they can deny your claim or reduce your payout. A bus accident attorney from Parker Trial Law can protect your rights by walking you through what to say to the insurance adjuster.

Who Could Be Held Responsible for a Bus Accident?

Multiple parties could be responsible for the bus accident, and part of your attorney’s job is to identify each of them. Some parties who could be liable for your injuries include the following:

• Bus Drivers – Bus driver negligence contributes to many bus accidents in Georgia. The driver could be liable if they were speeding, distracted by their phone, or failed to follow traffic law.
• Bus Company – When a driver causes an accident while on the job, their employer may also be liable for the damage. This is especially true if the employer’s business practices contributed to the accident, such as encouraging speeding to keep buses on schedule.
• Bus Maintenance Provider – If poor maintenance contributed to the accident, the bus’s maintenance provider may be liable for harm done.
• Other Drivers – Another motorist could be liable if they contributed to the accident by cutting the bus off or not yielding the right-of-way.
• Government Entities – Government entities may be liable for an Albany Transit System accident or if poorly maintained roads contributed to the collision.

What Compensation Can I Expect to Recover in a Bus Accident Claim?

When filing a personal injury claim after a bus accident, you can seek various types of compensation, including:

• Medical Expenses – These are your surgeries, hospital stays, medical treatments, medical devices, prescription medications, and physical therapy.
• Lost Wages – If you can’t work either in the short or long term due to your injuries, you can seek compensation for lost wages and loss of future earning potential.
• Disability Accommodations – If your injuries result in permanent disability, you may be able to seek compensation to modify your home or vehicle to accommodate your disability.
• Pain and Suffering – Your physical pain and emotional suffering due to your injury are compensable.
• Property Damage – You can seek compensation to repair or replace your damaged property, including your vehicle.

What if I Am Partly at Fault in a Bus Accident?

Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence rule that could impact the compensation you receive through a settlement or trial award if you were partly at fault for the bus accident that caused your injuries. Comparative fault reduces your compensation by your degree of fault. For example, if a trial court finds you were 25 percent at fault for causing the accident, it would reduce your compensation by 25 percent as well.

Additionally, Georgia’s version of comparative negligence bars anyone 50 percent or more at fault for an accident from recovering any compensation at all. For this reason, it’s vital that you consult with an experienced bus accident law firm like Parker Trial Law that will work to reduce your degree of fault.

How Long Do I Have to File a Bus Accident Claim in Georgia?

According to the statute of limitations in Georgia Code Section 9-3-33, injured parties have two years to file personal injury claims, including those arising from bus accidents. You must file your claim within this period or risk the courts barring you from recovering damages. Furthermore, even tighter deadlines might apply if your claim is against a governmental entity like the Albany Transit System.

An experienced bus accident lawyer in Albany, GA, can assist you with filing your claim within the time limit to protect your right to seek compensation. The sooner you contact an attorney, the sooner they can investigate your bus accident claim and assemble the necessary documents.

What Are Common Types of Bus Accidents?

Some of the most common types of bus accidents in Albany, Georgia, include the following:

• Left-Turn Accidents – These accidents happen when the bus or another driver fails to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic when making a left turn.
• T-Bone Collisions – These accidents happen when one vehicle hits another side-on, often at an intersection.
• Head-On Collisions – Head-on collisions are among the most dangerous bus accidents. They typically happen when one vehicle crosses the center line between lanes.
• Rear-End Collisions – Many factors can contribute to rear-end collisions, including sudden braking, distracted driving, and adverse weather.

What Injuries Can Someone Sustain in a Bus Accident?

There are many injuries you can sustain in a bus accident, the most common of which are the following:

• Whiplash – These injuries occur when the head violently shakes back and forth or side-to-side after an impact.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries – TBIs result from blunt force to the head that causes the brain to strike the inside of the skull.
• Broken Bones – Depending on their severity, broken bones can take months to heal and require extensive rehabilitation.
• Lacerations – Broken glass and other sharp objects can cause deep lacerations during bus accidents.
• Internal Injuries – These are some of the most serious injuries because the symptoms often don’t appear immediately, leading to victims initially believing they’re fine and not seeking medical treatment.