NYC Bus Accident Lawyer

Injured in a Bus Accident? Hire a Lawyer

Every day, a countless number of buses ply the various roads in New York City. Consequently, a good number of these buses are usually involved in accidents every day. Whenever you are involved in any of these accidents, the personal injury legal action you take will depend on the type of bus involved.

The buses you find on NYC roads include:

Private Buses

In New York City, different private companies provide bus services for residents. These companies include GoBus, Peter Pan, Greyhound, dollar Vans, school bus, and many others. They also shuttle between New York and neighboring cities like Washington, D.C, and Philadelphia. While these buses’ fares and services may be similar and regulated, each service is managed by their individual companies.
Ideally, every private bus company should be responsible for the safety of their passengers. They are to do this by ensuring that they employ the services of certified drivers to commute passengers.

Nevertheless, some bus companies do not keep up with this safety responsibility during bus trips. They either resort to hiring unqualified drivers or may become lackadaisical in their supervisory processes. And when bus drivers are not adequately monitored or qualified to drive, they’re very likely to get involved in accidents.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Buses

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is responsible for the thousands of public buses that commute myriads of New Yorkers every day. It is often expected that the public bus service in New York should be more satisfactory than the private bus service, but this is usually not the case.

Most MTA drivers may be qualified, but not every one of them follows safety procedures while on transit. The New York Post carried out a study and found that between 2015 and 2018, there have been over 21,000 accidents that involved MTA buses. When averaged daily, this amounts to over 20 MTA buses-related accidents every day.

School Buses

With over 1 million children learning from the public schools in New York, the city has the most prominent educational district in the U.S. Invariably, and this means that more school buses are plying the roads in New York than most other cities.
Given that school buses commute young children, and New York is a major city in the country. It is normal to think that commuting with school buses should be comparatively safe. Sadly, this is not always the case, as school buses are usually connected with the majority of bus accidents on New York roads.

Tour Buses

Tour buses are faced with the greatest accident risks because they pull up more often than other buses. Given the size of New York City and the level of activities that go on in it, it is only typical that tourists swarm in their numbers into the city.
And a bus ride is a great way to enjoy a pleasant view of all the corners and attractions within the city. In addition to the frequency of stops, passengers in a tour bus may most likely not use seat belts. Especially those who ride on these buses’ top decker.

Why Do Bus Accidents Happen in NYC?

In New York City, a countless number of things can result in road crashes. Generally, accidents can be caused by the drivers involved, road and traffic conditions, and other road users’ errors. When unqualified motorists are in charge of buses’ wheels commuting passengers, there is also the possibility of a crash occurring.

Nevertheless, the following reasons are quite common for most bus accidents that happen in New York City:

Unqualified Motorists

In New York, drivers must sail through pre-employment screening and regular drug inspections. It is also mandatory for them to acquire a commercial driver’s license before legally conveying commuters within and outside the city.
However, these regulations’ enforcement is often neglected, and unqualified commercial drivers still drive on New York roads.

Distracted Drivers

When drivers are distracted from the road or are going through physical or emotional pain. the chances are that they may not be able to avoid an imminent crash.

Driving Beyond Speed Limits

Accidents are usually inevitable when bus drivers run beyond recommended speed limits. For one thing, commercial buses are large and heavy and can be challenging to maneuver in the event of an accident. Secondly, bus drivers may lose control of their vehicles at extremely high speeds.

Driving Under the Influence of Drug and Alcohol

New York laws are enforced to ensure that drivers do not use the roads under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But then, some drivers fail to adhere to these laws and end up endangering their passengers’ lives.

Poor Maintenance of Buses

Bus accidents can also result from mechanical faults in buses. While there are laws that ensure that companies carry out routine checks on their fleet, some companies either do not comply or neglect some seemingly minor faults in their vehicles.

Impatient and Unsafe Driving

In a bid to beat the time, some bus drivers may decide to make turns and stops that are unsafe. Some may even go as far as running on a red light to beat traffic, leading to fatal crashes.

Also, impatience can cause bus drivers to neglect the right of other road users – including pedestrians. As a result, deadly crashes that put the lives of pedestrians and passengers at risk often occur.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) awards grades to bus service companies based on the extent of their safety practices. Buses operated by companies with low grades are more likely to get involved in road crashes.

Whenever you receive any injury from a bus accident, you have the right to receive a form of compensation from the defaulting bus company:

• If you are among the passengers of the bus involved.
• If you were hit by the commercial bus while using the road on foot or a bike.
• Your vehicle was hit by a commercial bus
• or if you got injured because the bus driver failed to pull up properly as you boarded it.

You can always reach out to law firms like us that handle bus accident cases perfectly.

Who to Take Out After A Bus Accident Injury

When you sustain an injury in a bus accident in New York City, you can take legal action against the following people:

Bus Drivers

You can hold a bus driver responsible whenever a crash occurs, and you get injured in the process. Drivers are meant to be conscious of their passengers’ safety and stick to safety practices as they work. Invariably, you can sue them if they default and an accident results.

Other Road Users

Sometimes, bus companies and their drivers may be blameless about the accidents that occur with their buses. Consequently, other road users may be responsible for such accidents. In fact, the comparative negligence law prevalent in New York allows you to get compensation from parties other than the bus drivers.

Bus Companies

While bus drivers may be held responsible for what happens on the road, their employers may also be guilty of negligence. When bus companies fail to hire qualified drivers. Or when fail to carry out necessary checks and repairs on their buses, accidents can occur. In such cases, injured passengers can bring them to book.

Vehicle Manufacturers

On some occasions, manufacturer defects can cause buses to crash or malfunction on the road. In this case, you can take class action against the manufacturers of such vehicles.

With Us, You Get the Best Compensation for Bus Accident Injuries

When you make us your representative during a class action against bus accident defaulters. We’ll do our best to ensure that you are adequately compensated. Our lawyers will ensure that you get monetary compensation for the following occurrences caused by any bus accident:

• Emotional trauma,
• Medical bills,
• Bodily pain and injuries,
• Incapacity,
• Money lost due to your absence, and
• The damage was done to your earning

However, you need to have certain information before filing a lawsuit against a bus company. First, you must know about the bus involved in the incident. Its identification number, and the features installed in it.

Most commercial buses in New York have surveillance cameras installed in them. The recordings of these cameras can be useful during a lawsuit and must be produced by the bus company’s lawyers during the class action.

We have several years of experience when it comes to investigating a bus accident. And ascertaining the amount of compensation you get to receive from defaulters. We also hire bus accident and medical experts to lend us a professional hand during investigations.

Reach Out to Us Today
Nothing should stop you from reaching out to us for a Personal Injury attorney if you’ve been injured by any commercial bus in New York City. At Rozhik Law Firm PLLC, we do not charge you for your first consultation with us, and we also ensure that you get fully compensated for any inconvenience caused by defaulting bus companies.