Houston Bus Accident Attorneys

If you were injured in a bus accident and someone else was responsible for it, you might be entitled to compensation. Contact the Houston personal injury lawyers of Lowenberg Law Firm immediately so we can investigate and start building a case against the negligent driver. You should not be forced to pay for your medical treatment and additional expenses if your actions didn’t contribute to the crash.

Houston residents rely on public transportation to commute to work or run errands. Visitors might take the bus because it’s a cheap alternative to walking everywhere. Buses might be convenient, but they can also be dangerous. Many don’t have seatbelts, and passengers can get thrown around like rag dolls during a collision. They’re also massive in size and can demolish smaller vehicles involved in an accident with them.

You might have been riding the bus or driving a car at the time of the crash. Either way, you deserve compensation if the bus driver were entirely at fault. The costs you incur should be their company’s financial responsibility since the bus driver’s actions caused your injuries. At Lowenberg Law Firm, we know what it takes to hold people accountable for their wrongdoings and help our clients pursue the justice they deserve.

Call (832) 241-6000 for a free consultation with one of our experienced and skilled Houston bus accident attorneys to learn more about how we can help.

Common Causes of Bus Accidents

Bus accidents occur for some of the same reasons as other motor vehicle collisions. Driver error and inattention are among the most common causes. Bus drivers have to obey all traffic laws while maneuvering a large vehicle full of passengers around sharp turns, past road hazards, and through heavy traffic. It requires an experienced and skilled driver. Unfortunately, a minor mistake can lead to an accident.

The most common causes of bus accidents include:

Driving too fast for poor road or weather conditions
Exceeding the speed limit
Taking a turn too fast
Tailgating
Driver fatigue
Distracted driving
Driving under the influence
Disobeying traffic signals and signs
Trying to squeeze through small spaces between cars
Improper or sudden braking
Failing to check blind spots

If you suffered injuries in a bus accident, whether you were on the bus or in another vehicle, you could seek compensation if the bus driver or bus company were to blame for your injuries. It’s their job to prevent dangerous scenarios that put people at risk of harm. Their negligent actions led to the crash, and they should be the one to compensate for your prescription costs, out-of-pocket expenses, physical therapy, and other losses.

Common Injuries in Bus Accidents

Buses are longer, heavier, and sit higher off the ground than most vehicles. Bus passengers and small car occupants typically sustain more debilitating injuries than the bus driver during a collision. Maneuvering a massive vehicle along busy Houston roads is challenging. That’s why bus drivers must obtain a special license, pass all background checks, and take a certification class.

Injuries caused by bus accidents are often severe. Some are life-threatening and result in the victim’s death. Texas was the number one state for the deadliest bus crashes in 2019. A total of 462 people were killed in accidents involving buses or large trucks that year. Additionally, 7,399 people suffered injuries.

The most common injuries bus accidents cause are:

Internal bleeding
Paralysis
Broken bones
Concussion, traumatic brain injury, and other head injuries
Back and neck injuries
Cuts and bruises
Disfigurement
Spinal cord injuries
Nerve damage
Soft tissue injuries
Emotional trauma
Disability
Loss of limb or amputation injury

Even if you suffered minimal physical harm from the crash, you probably required some form of treatment or time off from work to heal. Those are recoverable losses in an insurance claim or lawsuit. You shouldn’t have to pay for these expenses when the bus driver behaved recklessly and put you in this situation.

Let Lowenberg Law Firm Handle the Accident Investigation

Bus accidents can cause confusion, shock, stress, and disorientation. When you’re in pain and scared, you don’t know the next steps you need to take. It’s critical that you seek medical treatment and hire a Houston bus accident attorney immediately after the crash. The sooner you begin the legal process, the better chance you’ll have of recovering the compensation you deserve. If you wait too long, you could miss a critical deadline and lose your chance of holding the bus driver and their company liable.

When you hire Lowenberg Law Firm, we’ll begin your case by investigating the accident. We need to understand the contributing factors and exact causes. Insurance companies are often unfair to accident victims. They might seem like they’re on your side, but their main goal is to avoid paying a large settlement. They’ll look for reasons to deny your claim or provide an insignificant offer so they can save money. We understand these tactics and know how to counter them. We can aggressively negotiate for the money you’re owed.

We will locate relevant evidence to prove the bus driver was at fault and your injuries resulted from the accident during our investigation. Examples of evidence we might need to obtain are:

Bus company’s repair and maintenance logs for the bus involved in the crash
Statements from eyewitnesses
Traffic camera footage
Police reports
Bus driver’s qualifications, employment history, criminal record, and other documentation
Photos from the accident scene
Copies of your medical records
Estimates for the repair of the bus and other vehicles involved in the collision

You don’t have to hire a lawyer after a bus accident, but it would be a massive mistake if you didn’t. Studies have shown that people who retain legal services are more likely to recover higher compensation than those who don’t. If you attempt to handle your case alone, you could encounter obstacles you don’t know how to overcome or make a mistake that results in a denied insurance claim. With an experienced legal team on your side, you have a much better chance of receiving the money you need to pay for your treatment and recover from your injuries.

Losses You Can Pursue in an Insurance Claim

Texas is a fault accident state. That means the driver responsible for an accident becomes financially liable for the injured person’s lost income, medical costs, and other losses.

Federal regulations require for-hire motor carriers operating in foreign or interstate commerce to purchase liability insurance to cover passengers and the occupants of other vehicles injured in a crash the bus driver causes. The minimum limits of liability they must carry depend on the number of people the bus can carry:

Vehicle for 15 passengers or less including the driver – $1.5 million
Vehicle for 16 or more people including the driver – $5 million

Buses operating in Texas must buy insurance coverage required by state law. These required limits include:

Vehicles used for carrying more than 15 passengers including the driver but less than 26 people excluding the driver – $500,000
Buses used for transporting more than 26 passengers excluding the driver – $5 million
For-hire school buses carrying preprimary, primary, or secondary school students within a municipality boundary between a private, public, or parochial school and the students’ residences

You could file a claim with the motor carrier’s insurance carrier to recover the losses you suffered, such as:

Property damage
Past and future medical expenses
Lost wages
Lost earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Loss of household services
Physical impairment or disfigurement
Mental anguish

If the insurance company refuses to settle for an amount you need to compensate for your total losses or denies the claim entirely, we could proceed with a lawsuit.

Texas Statute of Limitations

You must observe a statute of limitations if you want to pursue a lawsuit against the bus company. Texas has a two-year statute of limitations for accidents involving injury or death. That means you have to file your lawsuit within two years of the date of the crash if you want to recover compensation from the at-fault party. Once the deadline passes, you won’t be able to sue.

The only exception to this rule is if you were under a legal disability at the time of the accident. That means you were either of unsound mind or under 18 years old. You could potentially extend the statute and not be required to file suit until two years from the date you turn 18 or gain mental competency.

Why Proportionate Responsibility Is Important in Lawsuits

When you’re filing a lawsuit against someone after a bus accident, you must show that they were at fault for your injuries. However, you might not realize that you could end up with less compensation than you need if you share any blame for the crash.

Proportionate responsibility allows a jury to reduce a plaintiff’s losses by their percentage of shared fault. So if you suffered $50,000 in losses, but a jury finds that your actions were 20 percent responsible for the accident, you could receive a maximum of $40,000 in compensation. That’s $10,000 less than you would have recovered if the bus driver were 100 percent at fault. Additionally, you would be prohibited from receiving any amount of compensation if the jury determines you were more than 50 percent to blame.

Contact Lowenberg Law Firm for a Free Consultation

With over 20 years of experience representing accident victims, you can rest assured that our Houston bus accident attorneys will fight for you. You deserve quality legal services that get the results you want. We know how to handle the most complicated insurance claims and lawsuits and can develop an effective strategy to achieve your goals.

Lowenberg Law Firm will not give up on you. We believe that anyone injured in an accident caused by someone else’s recklessness deserves justice. We will remain in your corner from start to finish of your case and treat you like a priority. Call us today at (832) 241-6000 for a free consultation if you sustained injuries in a bus accident due to another person’s negligence.