Many people throughout California use buses to get to and from work every day. Some parents rely on the school bus to get their child to and from school. While it may never occur to many that these buses can be dangerous, the truth is that bus accidents happen more than you may think. If you have been in a bus accident then we encourage you to read on to learn about laws that may affect your case, and then reach out to The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 for a free legal consultation.
Can you sue the government if you were injured in a bus accident?
In many instances, the government owns the buses that a person is injured in. Whether it’s the city or state, if your injury involved a vehicle owned by a government agency you may be wondering if you can sue them. The short answer is that yes, you can sue the government if they or one of their employees acted negligently and that negligence led to your accident.
Contact an experienced bus accident attorney as soon as possible
It is always true that it makes sense to contact a personal injury attorney sooner rather than later after an accident. However, this is even more true when it comes to suing a government agency. Why? Because the period of time in which you can file a claim is much shorter than it would be if your claim was against another citizen. These cases involve unique laws that require you to work side by side with an attorney who is experienced in these types of cases.
Special laws affecting buses
If you are involved in a bus accident you will have to prove that either the driver or the owner of the bus was negligent or at fault for the accident. There are many ways this could be the case, whether the driver was speeding or the bus company did not follow a proper maintenance schedule.
Any company that offers public transportation is likely subject to what are known as common carrier laws. These laws are intended to keep those who operate public transit held to a higher level of duty because they are entrusted with so many people at one time. This means that doing something wrong or negligently to do something right could be a suable offense against a bus driver when it would not be against a car driver.
What to expect when suing a government agency
If the bus you were injured on was owned and / or operated by the city then you will be suing a government agency. In the state of California, you have six months from the day of your accident to file the claim. If that claim is denied then you have time to file a lawsuit. Note that a typical personal injury case can be filed as long as two years after the accident so the timeframe in cases against the government is much tighter.
