Orlando Bus Accident Attorneys
Whether you are a resident or a visitor to the City of Orlando, there is a good chance that you, or someone you love, will be a passenger on one of the hundreds of buses that navigate the city each day. Public transportation buses take residents to and from work each day. School buses are responsible for transporting thousands of the city’s younger residents to and from school, while long-distance public and charter buses bring visitors to Orlando’s numerous attractions every day. Unfortunately, those busses are occasionally involved in accidents that can leave passengers with serious injuries.
If you were seriously injured in a bus accident, or you lost a family member in a bus accident, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand the law and obtain the compensation you deserve. At Bailey Fisher ,we have more than half a century of combined successful legal experience both in and out of the courtroom. Let us put our legal experience and dedication to work for you if you to ensure that you are fairly and fully compensated for the injuries you have suffered.
Bus Accident Facts and Figure
Not surprisingly, busses are a common sight around the City of Orlando. Those buses serve the Orlando metropolitans area’s 2.5 million permanent residents along with the millions of visitors that flock to the city each year. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are approximately one million buses on America’s roadways each year and those buses collectively log over 350 billion miles. Every day, school busses along with public and charter buses carry thousands of passengers around the Orlando metropolitan area. While most of those trips are uneventful, bus accidents do occur — and when they occur, they can cause serious, even fatal, injuries to the passengers.
Bus Accident Causes
When you step onto a bus or place your child’s care in the hands of a bus driver, you do so with hope and belief that it will be a safe journey. When a bus accident does occur, the cause may be a variety of factors, including:
- Driver fatigue as a result of working long hours
- Speeding
- Inexperienced driver
- Mechanical failure
- Roadway hazards or defects
- Driver intoxication
- Reckless driving
Bus Accident Injuries
When a bus is involved in a collision, the passengers on the bus often suffer serious injuries. One reason for this is the simple fact that most busses do not have seatbelts. Consequently, passengers may be thrown around the bus into walls and other seats or onto the floorboard if the bus collides with another vehicle or if the driver slams on the brakes unexpectedly. Passengers may also be injured by bags and other belongings brought aboard by other passengers. If you were injured in an Orlando bus accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, including pain and suffering.
Who Is Liable in a Bus Accident?
One issue that is often more complicated when a bus is involved in an accident is that of liability. The reason for this is that more than one party could be held partially or solely liable, including:
- Bus Driver — the driver’s own negligence may have contributed to a collision.
- Bus Owner — busses are subject to state and/or federal rules and regulations regarding maintenance and upkeep. If the owner failed to properly maintain the bus, the owner may be held liable if that failure contributed to an accident.
- Bus Manufacturer — if defective products or practices were used during the manufacture of the bus, anyone involved in that process could share in the responsibility for an ensuing accident.
- Contractual Third Party — sometimes a third party charters a bus, or leases busses, from the owner. If that third party’s negligence contributed to a victim’s injuries, that party may also be held liable.
- Another Driver — another vehicle may have caused, or contributed to, the collision. In that case, the driver of that vehicle may be held legally responsible for injuries suffered in the accident.
One of the many reasons to consult with an experienced bus accident attorney is to ensure that all the liable parties are held responsible when a bus is involved in an accident.
Are You Entitled to Compensation?
If you suffered injuries in a bus accident, you may be entitled to compensation for both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are intended to compensate you for your out-of-pocket expenses, such as medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages compensate a victim for the psychological and emotional trauma suffered as a result of the defendant’s negligence.
Contact Orlando Bus Accident Attorneys
If you were injured in an Orlando bus accident, or you are a surviving family member of someone who was fatally injured in one, contact an experienced Orlando bus accident attorney at Bailey Fisher to discuss your legal options by calling 407-628-2929 or filling out our online contact form today.