We help California victims hurt in Greyhound Bus accidents. Greyhound is responsible for the safety of passengers and of motorists traveling alongside their buses. Victims can seek full compensation for their medical bills and time lost at their jobs.
You can contact a California bus accident lawyer for a free case consultation to talk over your options and how to get complete compensation as quickly as possible. This no-risk, informational meeting comes with no obligation and is an easy way to learn how to hold a transportation business fully responsible for a careless bus driver.
Determining Your Need for a Lawyer After a Greyhound Bus Accident
Victims on buses in a collision, or in their own vehicles and struck by a bus, can suffer major injuries. It’s when medical bills are high that victims may need a lawyer’s help to get fair treatment and what they require to rebuild their lives.
Bus accident victims can always file their own claims, but with higher value cases (those involving serious injuries), a lawyer’s experience and investigative skills can keep transportation businesses from escaping responsibility. In these bigger cases, a lawyer also has a good chance to earn victims and their families much more than they could by filing a claim themselves.
A lawyer could demand substantial compensation for these types of injuries and others:
- Broken arms and legs, and other bone fractures
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs), including a serious concussion
- Spine and vertebrae damage
- Neck injuries, including a long-lasting case of whiplash
- Serious back injuries
- Internal organ damage, such as a punctured lung
- Tissue damage such as tears in tendons, ligaments, and muscle
- Deep cuts
- Facial injuries like a broken nose, cuts, or damaged teeth
You must also beware of corporate lawyers when taking on Greyhound. They may try to blame your accident on you or say your injuries aren’t all that bad. These are just tactics used to get you to accept less in a settlement. Your lawyer would fight back and provide evidence to shut down all attempts to change the story of what happened and your doctor’s diagnosis.
Reach Out to Schedule a Free Consultation with a Bus Accident Attorney
Our personal injury lawyers are happy to speak with anyone hurt in an accident caused by a Greyhound driver. It’s an absolutely free case consultation. There’s no obligation for this meeting, and it’s strictly confidential.
It’s the perfect, no-risk way to determine if you have a case or not. Let’s go over your questions and find your best path to receiving help in getting your life back to normal.
You can definitely contact us if you have already started the claims process with Greyhound and find that you aren’t getting support for all of your damages. As long as you haven’t signed off on a settlement, we can come in at any time and work to get you more.
What You Should Expect to be Compensated For
Bus accident victims can be put through a terrifying experience and come away with more than just some ER bills. They can also suffer emotional distress that doesn’t go away or heal in the same way a broken bone would.
Victims hurt in bus impacts and rollovers need help with the financial hardships they are left with. They also need support as they try to heal emotionally and cope with lingering pain and discouragement.
A skilled attorney would make sure Greyhound and its commercial insurance providers were fully on the hook for these damages and others.
Economic Damages to Be Covered:
- The totals on ambulance fees, medical care, and rehabilitation costs.
- The cost of travel, getting to doctors’ appointments, and seeing specialists in other cities.
- If necessary, the costs associated with a permanent disability, such as lifetime financial support, the costs of home renovations, medical equipment, and home care.
- Costs to repair a vehicle if a bus driver strikes a car, truck, SUV, motorcycle, or bike.
Non-Economic Damages to Be Covered:
- Support for the pain victims go through and the costs of physical therapy to help victims endure chronic pain and arthritis.
- Support for the emotional trauma victims must cope with, including anxiety and depression caused by a frightening impact and challenging recovery.
- Support for therapy to battle PTSD symptoms that might repeatedly flash a victim back to the moment of a scary bus crash.
- Support for the loss of enjoyment of life that a temporary or long-term injury may cause.
Greyhound Bus Crash Dangers in California
Greyhound bus travel is relatively safe through California, but when these big, heavy vehicles do get into accidents, a lot of people can get hurt, and the injuries can be significant.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) found that between 2010 and 2022, buses traveling between cities (such as Greyhound) accounted for around 10% of all buses involved in fatal crashes in the U.S. Transit buses (buses transporting within cities) accounted for around 36% of the buses involved in fatal accidents over that time.
In 2022, there were 213 buses involved in fatal crashes across the U.S. That was up from 205 buses involved in deadly accidents in 2021.
Identifying Who Is Responsible for a Greyhound Bus Crash
Greyhound Lines Inc. is classified as a “common carrier” by the Federal Government. It means they transport people for a fee. It also means Greyhound is held to higher accountability for passenger safety.
California drivers in cars are supposed to show other motorists care by not making reckless moves and yielding the right of way. But the responsibility goes further for Greyhound drivers and their employers. They are required to show a higher “duty of care” and must do everything possible to keep customers safe. It’s a legal requirement as they transport people between cities like Los Angeles, Fresno, Bakersfield, Modesto, Stockton, and San Francisco.
Because of this duty, it’s easier for injured passengers to prove negligence on the part of Greyhound and its partners and earn compensation after accidents.
These are just a few of the accident factors that your Maison Law attorney would hold Greyhound responsible for:
- Bus Drivers who were speeding
- Bus Drivers who became distracted
- Bus Drivers who weren’t properly trained
- Bus Drivers who weren’t properly tested for drugs and alcohol
- Bus Drivers who didn’t get mandated FMCSA breaks
- Bus Drivers leaving the roadway and overturning, or ramming a stationary object
- Buses that weren’t maintained properly (e.g., worn tires, worn brake pads)
- Buses that have a manufacturing flaw or design flaw that causes accidents (sometimes leaving bus makers liable)
The reckless decisions and acts of negligence can endanger all 50 passengers on a bus. A careless driver might put pedestrians in crosswalks at risk, and cyclists in bike lanes in danger. That’s not to mention the devastation a bus can cause when striking multiple vehicles on a freeway or boulevard.
Accident Insurance Coverage for Greyhound Drivers
Greyhound backs its bus drivers with over $5 million dollars in commercial liability insurance. But support is never guaranteed. And Greyhound will have its own corporate lawyers to try to downplay injuries and get victims to accept less than what they need to fully recover.
A lawyer’s investigative skills and use of accident reconstruction teams can firmly place the blame on a bus driver and the transportation company. This evidence brings a halt to insurance tactics and forces Greyhound to accept blame and provide support.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do to help my case at the scene of a Greyhound Bus accident?
Put the priority on getting injury care and staying safe. Get completely checked out by paramedics and go to the ER if they think you should. Give investigating officers a full account of what happened, including whether you saw the bus driver engage in careless behavior. Take photos. Show the view from inside the bus if you are a passenger. Take photos of your injuries and damaged clothing. When the scene is secure, grab pictures of the damage to the bus and to any vehicles involved. Get contact information from any witnesses. Other passengers can serve as powerful witnesses. Contact a lawyer to discuss to find out how to use this evidence to earn more.
How long do I have to file a Greyhound bus accident claim in California?
Two years. California puts the statute of limitations on personal injury claims at two years. But don’t wait weeks or months to explore your legal options. Greyhound may try to get you to sign off on a “lowball” settlement offer before you truly know how badly you are hurt and how much your case is worth. Talk to a California Greyhound Bus Accident Lawyer before talking to any insurance reps for Greyhound.
Can my family seek support if a loved one is killed in a Greyhound Bus Accident?
Yes. Family members may file a wrongful death claim to receive help with funeral costs and leftover medical bills. They should get compensation that applies to the future when they won’t have the victim’s income to support loved ones. Their emotional damages must also be factored into a settlement check. A skilled California wrongful death attorney can also act on behalf of the entire family to make sure they receive justice and financial security.
Contact a California Greyhound Bus Accident Lawyer
After you’ve suffered a serious injury due to a bus driver’s mistake, it’s a good idea to take advantage of a free case review. Contact us to set up a meeting with a real lawyer.
We also understand that your medical expenses can drain your savings and leave you unable to pay for a lawyer’s services.
Don’t worry. If you need Maison Law, we’re there. We don’t get any money up front. We only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our fee is paid out of the settlement that a Greyhound must write for you.
