Buses are important for public transportation in Florida, as people use public and private buses for transportation to schools, city locations, and amusement parks like Disney World and Universal. However, accidents can occur in a bus like in other motor vehicles.
Bus accident victims can include the bus driver, bus passengers, those in other motor vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists. A bus can strike someone when the driver engages in reckless driving behavior, or the bus itself can suffer a collision after colliding with a negligent driver.
Victims of Florida bus accidents can experience severe injuries that can lead to long-term pain and suffering. By filing a Florida bus accident claim, they can pursue compensation for economic and non-economic damages, such as medical bills, lost earning potential, and consortium loss.
Why Choose The Russo Firm for Your Florida Bus Accident Claim?
The Russo Firm has personal injury lawyers with years of experience helping Florida injury victims recover fair compensation for damages. They can use their experience and expertise to assist you with your Florida bus accident claim.
We understand how a bus accident can affect your life by causing traumatic physical and emotional injuries. Our attorneys wish to help you pursue fair compensation to help you recover financially and begin the process of moving on from the trauma of the accident.
Our Florida bus accident lawyers will help you develop a personalized legal counsel plan catered to the specifics of your case. We do not have a “one size fits all” approach. Instead, we develop a specific plan based on your needs, wants, and desires. Contact us today for a free consultation to learn how our bus accident attorneys can help with your case.
The Russo Firm Case Results
The Russo Firm has decades of experience helping victims of personal injury accidents like motorcycle, car, and slip and fall accidents. Our lawyers have a proven track record of earning fair compensation for our clients to help them financially recover from a traumatic accident.
Our bus accident lawyers can pull from their vast experience to help you craft a legal counsel plan that can put you in the best position to receive fair compensation. They will assist you much like the other clients we have helped earn fair settlements and court awards.
The following are some of the case results our attorneys have helped clients earn:
- $3.3 Million for a Drunk Driving Accident Case
- $2 Million for a Trucking Accident Wrongful Death
- $290 Thousand for a Car Accident Hip Injury Case
- $155 Thousand for a Rideshare Accident Case
- $125 Thousand for a Car Accident Case
Can You File a Bus Accident Claim in Florida to Pursue Compensation for Damages?
Bus accidents are much like other types of motor vehicle accidents, such as car, truck, and motorcycle accidents. If you suffered severe injuries from a Florida bus accident, you could file a bus accident claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company.
The reason to file a bus accident claim is to pursue compensation for damages. As a bus driver or motor vehicle driver injured during a bus accident, your insurance should cover a percentage of your medical bills and lost wages. Florida is a no-fault state, which means all drivers must purchase Personal Injury Protection (PIP) insurance that can cover up to $10,000.
However, insurance can only cover a percentage of your economic damage and does not help with non-economic damages. If there is a negligent party whose mistakes caused the bus accident, you could file a Florida bus accident claim to hold them accountable for damages.
Where Do Florida Bus Accidents Occur?
Florida bus accidents commonly occur in cities like Orlando, Miami, and Tampa that prioritize public transportation. These cities have many bus stops from companies like Lynx, Mears, and Windstar Lines where people can ride buses to commute to work, school, or other places.
Bus accidents in Florida can also commonly happen in Orlando because of the amount of buses for transportation around Universal and Disney World properties. Those staying at hotels in the area may require bus transportation to reach the amusement parks, and bus accidents can occur here because of negligence.
Drivers must be wary of bus accidents in areas near schools as well. In the morning and during rush hour, there are many school buses around transporting children. Drivers must be careful to avoid striking a school bus or passing one when it’s stopped and letting off children, as this can cause a pedestrian accident.
Common Causes of Florida Bus Accidents
Bus accidents can result from the same issues as other motor vehicle accidents. External factors outside of the bus driver’s control can cause a bus accident, such as poor road design, road defects, defective bus parts, and adverse weather conditions.
However, most bus accidents result from the negligent behavior of a bus driver or other vehicle driver. Reckless driving is when a driver fails to follow road rules and drives in a way that can lead to them crashing into another vehicle. If a bus driver commits reckless driving behavior, they can cause a bus accident that results in severe injuries.
The following are some reckless driving behaviors that can cause a Florida bus accident:
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Speeding
- Drowsy driving
- Road rage
- Not using turn signals
- Failing to observe right-of-way
- Tailgating
- Running red lights
Severe Injuries Caused by Florida Bus Accidents
During a bus accident, a victim can experience blunt-force trauma that causes them to suffer a severe injury. How this happens depends on if you’re on the bus or in a motor vehicle struck by a bus. Passengers of the bus can experience injuries from a direct blow from another motor vehicle, with whiplash caused by a head-on collision.
Motor vehicle drivers and passengers struck by a large bus can experience severe trauma, as the structure of their car may not be enough to protect them from a direct collision. They can suffer injuries from penetrating trauma, collision with a hard object, and direct impact from a bus.
The following are some severe injuries caused by a Florida bus accident:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Knee injuries
- Back and neck injuries
- Facial injuries
- Shoulder injuries
- Upper extremity injuries
- Lower extremity injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal injuries
Severe bus accident injuries can cause symptoms like intense pain, swelling, bruising, lack of mobility, etc. Florida bus accident victims should seek medical help after a bus accident to have a doctor use a physical examination and diagnostic tests to determine what injuries they suffered and the best treatment for their injuries.
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Florida Bus Accident?
The liable party in a Florida bus accident depends on how the bus accident happened and whose negligence caused the accident. The most likely liable party for a Florida bus accident is a driver who caused the accident through reckless or negligent driving behavior.
This driver can be the bus driver or a driver of another motor vehicle. When a driver fails to follow road rules and drives in a reckless fashion, they can make mistakes behind the wheel that can lead them to strike another vehicle. This can cause a bus accident that they can be held liable for.
Bus companies can also share liability for a Florida bus accident because of vicarious liability. This is a legal doctrine that says employers are liable for the wrongful actions of employees when on the job. An employer can be held liable in a bus accident claim for an accident caused by a bus driver when the driver commits a wrongful action while completing a work task.
The following are some potentially liable parties in a Florida bus accident claim:
- Bus driver
- Bus companies
- Bus maintenance crew members
- Another motor vehicle driver
- Bus part manufacturer
- Bus part designer
- Bus part seller
- Bus part distributor
What Should You Do After a Florida Bus Accident?
Following a Florida bus accident, there are certain things you should make sure to do to help recover from physical injuries and put yourself in a position to recover compensatory damages. Your health is essential after a traumatic accident, so it’s important to seek medical attention.
You should also take some steps to help with future litigation. Severe injuries and significant damages could require you to file a bus accident claim to pursue compensation. There are steps you can take that can help put you in the best position for a successful claim.
The following are some steps you should take after a Florida bus accident:
- Check yourself for severe injuries
- Take pictures and collect evidence at the scene of the bus accident
- Exchange contact information with those involved in the bus accident
- Go to the hospital for medical treatment
- Jot down every detail you remember from the bus accident
- Contact your insurance provider
- Hire a Florida bus accident lawyer
Proving Liability in a Florida Bus Accident Claim
Recovering compensation for your Florida bus accident damages requires you to prove the liability of the at-fault party. They must have acted in a negligent or reckless manner, and you must be able to prove this dangerous behavior through tangible evidence.
Proving liability in a bus accident claim requires you to establish the four elements of negligence:
- The at-fault party owed you a duty of care
- They breached the duty of care through negligence
- Their breach of duty of care led to the bus accident
- You suffered damages from the bus accident
You can prove these elements of negligence by collecting evidence. Some evidence that can help prove liability in a bus accident claim include photos and videos from the bus accident, eyewitness and expert witness statements, medical records, police reports, vehicle accident reconstructions, etc.
What Damages Can You Pursue in a Florida Bus Accident Claim?
Victims of Florida bus accidents can experience damages that can affect their finances, physical health, and psychological well-being. They can file a bus accident claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company to pursue compensation to pay for these damages.
There are two types of damages people normally pursue in automobile accident cases like a bus accident claim: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those with a monetary value or a specific bill attached. Non-economic damages are intangible losses that affect a person’s quality of life or mental health.
The following are some damages you could pursue compensation for through a Florida bus accident claim:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
- Property damages
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of society
- Loss of parental services
- Funeral and burial costs
Why Should You Hire a Florida Bus Accident Lawyer?
After a Florida bus accident, it’s essential to hire an experienced bus accident lawyer. An attorney with experience handling Florida bus accident claims can help explain the process and advise you on the best steps to take for a successful claim.
Some ways an experienced Florida bus accident lawyer can help include assessing your damages, determining who caused the bus accident, explaining Florida bus accident laws, gathering evidence, and representing you in court.
One of the most important ways they can help you is by negotiating a settlement with the liable party’s insurance company. Most insurers will try to deny, delay, or devalue your settlement to keep their profits up. An experienced bus accident lawyer can use their insurance settlement negotiation experience to help combat bad faith tactics and recover a fair settlement.
Contact The Russo Firm for Help With Your Florida Bus Accident Claim
At The Russo Firm, our Florida bus accident lawyers have over twenty-five years of experience assisting victims in recovering compensatory damages. They can advise you on handling a bus accident claim and what Florida laws can affect the process.
The goal of our Florida bus accident lawyers is to provide our expertise to victims to help put them in the best position to recover fair compensatory damages. Contact us for a free Florida bus accident consultation at (561) 270-0913 or leave a message on our online contact page.