Countless bus services offer transportation options to residents and tourists in Orange County. However, bus accidents are common as Orange County has some of the densest traffic in the country.
If you are injured in an Orange County bus accident, you deserve compensation from the negligent parties. This could be the bus driver alone, but in many cases, their employer can also be sued for their driver’s negligence. While these cases are complex, our firm can investigate your case to determine the best options to cover your losses.
Contact the Law Offices of David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A. at (954) 751-4258 for a free case consultation with our bus accident attorneys.
What You Can Do After an Orange County, FL Bus Accident to Help Your Case
If you have been hurt in a bus accident in Orange County, you should know what steps to take after being injured. These steps can help our bus accident lawyers better protect your rights and ensure that you receive the compensation that you deserve. After a bus accident, do not hesitate to call the police to the scene before getting medical care, if possible. Considering that there will likely be other passengers, speak with them and get their contact information so that our firm can encourage them to testify in your case.
Call the Police
The first thing you should do after a bus accident is call the police. While it might seem counterintuitive, calling the police can actually help your case. This is because the police will come and make a report about what happened. This report can then be used to track down more evidence for your lawsuit, identify witnesses, and help show what happened in detail. It should also contain important contact and insurance information so the party that injured you can be held accountable later. In order to make sure that everything is documented correctly, you should stay on the scene until an officer arrives.
Gather Evidence
Another thing you should do after an Orange County bus accident is write down as much information about the accident as you can. Write down descriptions of any other vehicles involved, including license plates and the make and model of the vehicles. Write down descriptions of other people involved in the crash, including passengers and drivers. Also, describe any injuries that you sustained or witnessed during the crash.
The best way to preserve evidence of your bus accident is to take pictures and videos with your phone. Be sure to take pictures of physical damage you notice and evidence of the accident on the road, like skid marks or debris. Your photos will be incredibly useful when pursuing compensation in an insurance claim or lawsuit later. By the time a potential trial arrives, your injuries might have healed or improved greatly. If you cannot take pictures of the accident because your injuries are too serious, you can ask emergency medical staff or people nearby for help.
Depending on the type of bus involved in your accident, the bus driver might make an official accident report. Many bus companies and municipalities require bus drivers to complete incident reports when involved in an accident and report it to an immediate supervisor. Our team can help you obtain a copy if you are not provided one while on the scene of your accident.
Get Medical Treatment
Even if you do not think that you are injured or injured that badly after a bus accident, it is still important to get examined at the hospital just in case you sustained an internal injury you might not be aware of. With regard to your legal case, medical records will be necessary to recover compensation. Without proof of the injuries you suffered and what treatments will be necessary to recover, you will likely not be able to claim compensation for your damages.
Speak with Our Attorneys
Once you have received the proper medical care, reach out to us promptly in order to safeguard your rights and initiate your lawsuit to obtain the compensation you are entitled to. Additionally, we can contact witnesses to secure their statements and further investigate your case to gather relevant evidence to bolster your case.
Parties that Could Be Held Liable for a Bus Accident in Orange County, FL
Bus accident lawsuits are some of the most complex cases in Orange County. This is because it might not be immediately obvious who is at fault for your accident. While the bus driver is the most likely party responsible for causing an accident, they might not be the only liable party. In many cases, the bus company, other drivers, and even municipal governments share the blame.
The Bus Driver
The bus driver is the first party that comes to mind when considering who to sue for an Orange County bus accident. The bus driver is responsible for the safety of all passengers on the bus. If the driver failed to exercise reasonable care while operating the bus, they could be held liable if they caused an accident through negligence or recklessness. For instance, the bus driver should be made to compensate you if they caused an accident while speeding or driving unreasonably in bad weather.
The Bus Company
You can also likely sue the bus company for injuries that their driver caused. This is because the law allows victims to hold certain employers accountable for the actions of their employees under the theory of superior respondeat. If a bus driver causes an accident while performing their normal duties, like transporting passengers, or fails to maintain the bus, both the driver and the bus company can be named in your lawsuit.
Other Drivers
In most cases, at least one other vehicle will be involved in an Orange County bus accident. Even though buses are some of the largest vehicles on the road, negligent drivers are still capable of missing them. For instance, a driver might cause an accident when changing lanes if they cut a bus off. This can lead to catastrophic accidents as the bus might roll over on its side in an attempt to avoid the other driver.
Government Agencies
The municipal government manages many buses in Orange County. If the bus you were injured on was owned and maintained by a government agency, it could be possible to sue the driver and the government agency. However, government agencies are protected by “sovereign immunity,” meaning they cannot be sued in most cases without their consent. Fortunately, there are exceptions to this legal standard that allows victims to sue if they have suffered a personal injury caused by a government vehicle. Before filing your lawsuit, though, you will usually need to provide written notice to the government agency responsible for the bus.
Our Orange County Bus Accident Attorneys Can Help
For a free case assessment with our bus accident lawyers, contact the Law Offices of David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A. at (954) 751-4258 today.