California Bus Accident Attorneys

If you've been the victim of a bus crash by the fault of another, contact our experienced California Bus Accident Lawyers for a free case evaluation. You may be entitled to compensation including wrongful death, lost wages, your pain and suffering and punitive damages. The experienced trial lawyers of Bisnar Chase have taken on some of the most complex cases involving bus injuries and have held a96% success rate for 40 years.

Time is of the essence in some personal injury cases, and you'll want a professional opinion of your rights before you talk with anyone from the bus or insurance companies.

Call 949-203-3814 for immediate help and free information about your rights after a serious crash.

California Bus Accident Cases Require Crucial Evidence

Dealing with a bus company and their legal defense teams can be traumatic, especially if you have just been in an accident and are trying to recover from your injuries. The experienced California bus accident lawyers at Bisnar Chase have a successful track record of representing injured plaintiffs and recovering maximum compensation for their losses.

In bus accident cases, we have obtained crucial evidence such as hours-of-service logs, maintenance records and cell phone records to help prove fault and liability. We will put our decades of experience and the skill and expertise of our California injury lawyers to work for you.

Bus accident cases we handle are usually serious in nature with catastrophic injuries: MTA, Transit, Public Transport, School Bus, Commercial Transport (Casino, School etc.).

If you or someone you love has been injured in a bus accident, please contact our California personal injury lawyers at 949-203-3814 for a free consultation and comprehensive case evaluation.

Protecting Your Rights in a California Carrier Crashes

Bus accidents are relatively rare when compared to other traffic accidents. However, they can happen at any moment and the resulting injuries can be life changing. It is important for anyone involved in a California bus accident to learn how common carrier crashes are different than regular traffic collisions. It can be challenging to get fair compensation following a bus accident and many victims of these types of crashes end up getting inadequate support for medical bills, lost wages and other related damages. This is why all injured crash victims would be well advised to seek a California bus accident lawyer.

Tour Bus Accidents in California

Tour buses are considered one of the most prevalent common carriers. Accidents involving a shuttle or tour bus crash, liability can be difficult to determine. Your California bus accident attorney will more than likely hold two parties accountable for the bus crash; the tour company or bus company.

Tour companies usually do not own the buses themselves but have contracts with bus companies. It is the duty of the tour organization to make sure that the buses are well-maintained and also double-check if the bus company has a clean driving record. Meaning there has not been crashes associated with the bus company. The bus company also is liable in a crash if the buses are not perfectly up-kept or the drivers are not licensed.

Even if the requirements are met, a bus company is still held accountable if the bus driver proves to be careless.

California School Bus Accidents

A school transportation related accident is one that involves a school bus transporting children to and from school related events. Based on data from Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS, 1,282 people were killed in school related transportation crashes between 2007 and 2016.

Fars also reported that among pedestrians killed in school bus related crashes from 2007 to 2016, 163 were hit by school buses. 281 children died in that same amount of time. To see all statistics reported please see our school bus accident infographic.

According to the National Highway traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an average of 19 school-age children die in school transportation-related accidents each year. Only five of those victims are occupants of school transportation vehicles while the other 14 young victims are pedestrians. Many of these bus on pedestrian accidents take place in California where traffic congestion is a problem for years 1998 and 2008, 1,564 people were killed in school transportation-related crashes. About 72 percent of those victims were occupants of other vehicles. Non-occupants such as pedestrians accounted for 20 percent of the deaths and occupants of school transportation vehicles accounted for the remaining 8 percent.

Bus and Commercial Truck Crashes

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, there were 4,889 large trucks and buses involved in fatal crashes in 2017. When you have inner city buses, school buses and commercial trucks all sharing the road it can be a recipe for disaster. The weight of these vehicles alone can cause catastrophic and fatal injuries. Companies and schools are responsible for being as safe as possible to protect the public. The high amount of insurance they are required to carry is required in the event of multiple serious injuries.

Causes of Bus Accidents in California

Buses carry more weight and are harder to maneuver when turning. If a driver is not qualified to handle the bus in even harsh weather this can result into a crash. Keep in mind that an important part of any claim process made by your California Bus Accident Lawyer, is determining the cause of the crash.

Common causes of many California bus accidents include:

• Bus driver fatigue: A tired bus driver can lose focus or fall asleep while driving. Drivers who are suffering from accumulated sleep deficit, sleep apnea or insomnia should not be behind the wheel. It is also the responsibility of all bus companies to ensure that their drivers are adhering to federal regulations regarding the length of time they can drive without rest.
• Aggressive driving: Bus driving can be extremely stressful and challenging. If a bus driver is overworked or stressed, he or she may behave in a careless or reckless manner. Federal hours-of-service regulations exist for a reason. Bus drivers and bus companies should make sure that drivers do not break these hours-of-service rules. Bus drivers are required to maintain logs of their work and rest hours.
• Speed: All bus drivers must travel at a speed that is relative to the weather and traffic conditions. Excessive speed or driving at an unsafe speed can result in devastating bus accidents.
• Poor condition of vehicles: Bus companies that cut corners by avoiding necessary safety inspections and repairs can be held accountable for their wrongdoing. Under federal law, bus companies are also required to have vehicle maintenance logs. When an accident occurs due to brake or tire failure, for example, which is caused by poor vehicle maintenance, the bus company can be held liable for injuries and damages caused.
• Distracted driving: Under no circumstances should bus drivers use cell phones, computers or other electronic devices while driving. Other types of distractions including eating, drinking, looking at a GPS monitor or talking to passengers, can also increase the likelihood of a crash.
• Driving under the influence: Drivers are prohibited from operating a bus under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. For commercial drivers, California law states that the maximum blood alcohol content (BAC) limit is 0.04 percent. For drivers of passenger vehicles, that limit is set at 0.08 percent. When a drunk bus driver causes an accident, the bus driver and his or her employer can be held accountable. Bus companies have a legal obligation to check their drivers' criminal and driving history before hiring.

In a personal injury case, the offending party owes the injured victim a reasonable amount of care to avoid physical harm. Bus passengers have little control over whether or not they will be involved in an accident. So the common carrier is required to exercise the utmost level of care. With such a high duty of care, common carriers (public or private), such as bus companies, can be held liable for any injury or harm to passengers.

Choosing a Bus Crash Attorney in California

Hiring a well-qualified bus collision attorney is very important when trying to seek compensation for your losses. Your bus accident attorney should go through a thorough investigation of what occurred at the time and scene of the crash. Another key factor that your lawyer should research is if there where any regulations violated and certain standards were not met in order to keep the passengers safe.

The accidents attorneys of Bisnar Chase have received a 96% success rate since 1978. Our legal representation has won our clients millions in compensation to pay for expenses such as medical bills and lost wages.

Our mission statement is "To provide superior client representation in a compassionate and professional manner while making our world a safer place."

Top Notch California Legal Representation

With over forty years serving California, our personal injury team has the experience and resources to win big cases. You may be entitled to compensation above and beyond what you think you can expect to receive. Our legal team works every case like its their only injury claim and guarantee you will find no better personal care than what you will receive from the law firm ofBisnar Chase.

Call us for a free consultation. Call 800-561-4887.