Orange County Bus Accident Lawyers

Free Injury Consultations Available - (714) 987-2671

There were 67,000 crashes involving buses in 2015, according to the most recent statistics from the US US Department of Transportation of Transportation. Every year, bus accidents cause a significant amount of injury to people and damage to property. The only ray of sunlight is this: the law entitles victims of bus accidents to compensation for any losses related to the accident.

As a bus passenger, you place your safety in the hands of the driver. If you suffer injuries because of their negligence, you should seek compensation. An Orange County bus accident lawyer from the Law Offices of Scott D. Hughes can help you to recover damages and move forward with your life.

Establishing Fault After A Bus Accident in Orange County

To receive compensation for losses due to a bus accident, you will have to establish fault. This means determining who was to blame for the accident. In many cases, the negligent party is the bus driver. A bus driver can put their passengers at risk in several ways. Included among them are:

• Driving under the influence
• Distracted driving
• Unsafe driving practices including speeding and tailgating.

While the driver is often at fault, there are also cases where the blame lies elsewhere. For example, a bus accident may be the result of unsafe roadways. If road conditions caused the accident then the California Department of Transportation may be to blame. Alternatively, the bus company and the bus manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is safe. If they failed in their obligation, their failure may have resulted in your bus accident.

An Orange County bus accident lawyer can determine which party should be held accountable and work toward ensuring that you are financially compensated for your injuries.

What Types of Injuries Do Bus Accidents Cause?

When buses are involved in accidents, the injuries can be very serious. Injuries are often made worse by the fact that many buses are not equipped with seatbelts, airbags and other safety features that you might find in a modern car. This is compounded by the fact that buses weigh more than other vehicles, so the damage they cause when colliding with pedestrians, bicyclists and people in smaller vehicles tends to be catastrophic. When the injury and property damage is severe, the awards in a lawsuit can be very high, which is why insurance companies are motivated to contest them aggressively.

The people who may be entitled to compensation because of injuries in a bus accident include passengers, pedestrians and motorists in other vehicles. Also, property owners may be entitled to compensation if they have suffered financial loss in the accident.

Injuries commonly sustained in serious bus accidents include:

Brain Injuries

If a passenger's head strikes another object or gets jolted hard enough to cause the brain to collide with the inside of their skulls, they can suffer major brain damage. While relatively mild, a concussion can still be serious enough to cause major symptoms that can last for years.

Whiplash

Common in motor vehicle accidents, whiplash injuries occur when a bus or other vehicle collides with another object so that a passenger's body keeps moving forward and causes the body to make a whip-like motion.

Spinal Cord Injuries

An injury to the bundle of nerves running down the back can result in paralysis. If the injury results in the spinal cord being completely severed, the result may be complete paralysis below the site of the injury.

Burns

If a bus accident causes a fire or explosion, passengers on the bus may suffer serious burn injuries. Burns are among the most painful injuries and may require months of treatment depending on severity. The victims may have to live with major permanent scarring.

If you were hurt in a bus accident, you should consult an attorney as soon as possible. The team of Orange County bus accident attorneys from the Law Offices of Scott D. Hughes can help.

 Call today or use our contact form to get in touch with us.