We like to think of school buses as safe, lumbering, sunny yellow vehicles that we trust to transport our children safely back and forth to school. Unfortunately, buses are also difficult to maneuver through traffic, have large blind spots, and cause frustrated drivers who share the roadways to take dangerous chances. School bus accidents are not as uncommon as you might think, with national data showing around 132,000 injuries and over 970 fatalities in school bus accidents between 2013 and 2022.
When injuries occur in a school bus accident, it’s terrifying and traumatic. Contact the Los Angeles school bus accident attorneys at Martinian Lawyers to learn about your legal rights.
Why Select Martinian Lawyers for Your Los Angeles School Bus Accident Case?
Martinian Lawyers is a law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of injury victims, including school bus accident victims in Los Angeles. With representation by a Los Angeles school bus lawyer from Martinian Lawyers, you’ll have the following advantages in your case:
- A tailored strategy to recover the compensation your family deserves based on the unique circumstances of the accident and injuries
- Compassionate legal representation that never overlooks the toll an accident takes on the entire family while assertively negotiating for the maximum compensation available to you
- A legal team with over a decade of experience, knowledge, and resources to support your case
You don’t have to pay upfront fees for representation by a Los Angeles personal injury attorney from Martinian Lawyers. Instead, you can expect a free evaluation of your case and contingency-based payment, so you only pay after your lawyer recovers compensation for you.
Common Causes of School Bus Accidents In Los Angeles
School buses require experienced, alert drivers and proper maintenance to operate safely. Unfortunately, the following causes of school bus accidents in Los Angeles and elsewhere result in serious injuries to children and those in other vehicles:
- Speeding or driving too fast for road conditions
- Tailgating
- Unsafe lane changes
- Unsafe reversing
- Improper passing
- Distracted driving
- Unsafe merging
- Impaired driving
- Drowsy driving
- Insufficient maintenance or faulty repairs
- Defective bus parts or tires
School bus accidents include collisions with other vehicles, tip-overs, collisions with obstacles, and pedestrian accidents, often with children as the victims.
Who Is Liable for Damages After a School Bus Accident?
A school bus accident often causes far more than just property damage to a vehicle. It could also result in serious, catastrophic, or deadly injuries, including to a child. Before filing a claim to recover compensation, the claimant must identify the liable party and provide evidence of their liability. Common liable parties in LA school bus accident claims include the following:
- The bus driver
- Another driver
- A negligent road maintenance or road planning agency
- A negligent road construction contractor
- The public school system, if it used negligent driver hiring or training practices
- A bus maintenance company
Proving liability requires showing that the at-fault party owed a legal duty of reasonable care to the injury victim, they breached this duty and caused injury, and the injury victim suffered economic and non-economic damages from the injury.
Recoverable Damages After a Los Angeles School Bus Accident
A school bus accident is a devastating experience for an injured child or for motorists injured in accidents involving a school bus. No amount of compensation can erase the harm or undo injuries, but it opens the door to the best medical care, relieves financial anxieties, and achieves a sense of justice. Common damages recovered in LA bus accident claims include the following:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Past and future income loss
- Out-of-pocket injury-related expenses
- Compensation for pain and suffering, PTSD, or catastrophic injury
If a school bus accident causes a death, a Los Angeles wrongful death attorney from Martinian Lawyers can help the family recover wrongful death compensation for their grievous loss.
Contact Our Los Angeles School Bus Accident Attorneys Today
If you or your child suffered serious injuries in a school bus accident, you need experienced legal representation. Claims against government entities, such as the public school system, follow different timelines and have unique filing requirements. Call Martinian Lawyers to speak with an experienced Los Angeles school bus accident attorney about your case so your lawyer can begin a prompt strategy for action.
