Lakewood Bus Accident Attorney
Bus accidents often result in life changing or even fatal injuries. Our Lakewood truck accident attorney can help you recover the compensation you and your family deserve. Call our law firm today for a free case review. The Lakewood bus accident lawyers at Front Range Injury Attorneys help clients recover compensation for injuries caused by commercial truck crashes. Bus accidents can be physically, financially and emotionally devastating. Our lawyers are experienced advocates for victims of truck collisions who can help you hold the responsible party accountable for their carelessness or recklessness.
Why trust Front Range Injury Attorneys?
At Front Range Injury Attorneys we care about helping our clients throughout their cases. We believe clients are best served when our Lakewood bus accident lawyers participate in their cases from start to finish. We help our clients get the best treatment for their injuries. By building up your case from the beginning, we build a strong case to get the best results.
No Fee Unless You Win
Our law firm represents clients on a contingency fee basis. That means you don't pay us until we recover on your case.
Expertise with bus collision claims
Our Lakewood bus accident attorneys understand your injuries and how to tell your story to the insurance company or a jury. We get proven results with a 98% success rate.
Communication is important to us
We maintain communication with you through your case. We want you to know what's going on with your case and the work we're doing for you.
How a Lakewood bus accident attorney can help
Even though it is not required by law, it can be crucial to speak with a skilled Lakewood bus accident lawyer as once following this kind of catastrophe. An attorney may walk you through the legal procedure from the beginning and explain your rights to you. An attorney can assist you in determining the proper documentation and supporting evidence to provide for an insurance claim, whether you have cause to bring a personal injury claim after being injured on a public or school bus, and the actual value of your case. Your personal injury attorney will bargain with an insurer for the most financial recompense for your current and future losses, as opposed to pressuring you to accept the very first settlement offer.
Recovering damages in a bus accident claim
A victim of a bus accident may sustain serious or even fatal injuries, altering their quality of life financially, physically, and emotionally. We acknowledge that, in many instances, no amount of money will fully compensate a bus accident victim for their severe losses. We have, however, also witnessed directly how a victim may be able to afford required medical care and proceed with more peace of mind with the aid of a just and comprehensive compensating award. Following a bus accident in Lakewood, you may be entitled to compensation for each of the following types of damages:
- Medical bills you received from a hospital or other provider for treatment
- Medical bills foreseeably accrued for ongoing medical care due to your injuries
- Past lost wages and benefits
- Future lost earning capacity due to a disability
- Property damage caused by the accident
- Money spent out of pocket, such as travel costs
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life caused by the accident
- Wrongful death damages if a family member was killed in a truck accident
- Punitive damages if the accident resulted from gross negligence
Your case will determine how much money you can get as a settlement or jury award. Our Lakewood auto accident lawyers can fight for the highest level of monetary recompense on your behalf, making sure that the bus company or an insurance company does not undervalue your claim. Based on elements including the seriousness of your injuries, how long you will be affected by them, how long you were out of work, and the amount of insurance coverage available, we will precisely determine the value of your case. Then, based on our evaluation of how your injuries will affect your life, we will obtain the highest possible settlement for your case.
Common bus accident injuries
Accidents involving buses have the potential to result in grave to catastrophic injuries. Due to the lack of seat belts on most buses, passengers run the risk of being flung from the vehicle or surrounding the bus in the event of an accident. Especially if the victim is a vulnerable road user, such a bike or pedestrian, a bus presents a massive and heavy motor vehicle that can cause life-threatening injuries to persons outside the bus. Unfortunately, many people who are injured in bus accidents do not survive. commonly sustained injuries include:
- Catastrophic injuries
- Fractured bones
- Soft tissue damage
- Head injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Neck and whiplash injuries
- Back injuries
- Herniated discs
- Spinal cord injuries
- Third-degree burns
- Severe lacerations
- Internal injuries
- Permanent injuries
- Wrongful death
You might be entitled to financial compensation if a bus accident in Lakewood left you injured in any way. The bus accident attorneys at Front Range Injury Attorneys are compassionate toward hurt people and have the legal expertise to support you during this trying time. We understand the impact that severe injuries have on customers and what they require to reconstruct their life. We will fight for the outcomes you deserve for the severity and nature of your injuries by standing by you and your family every step of the way.
Causes of bus accidents in Lakewood, CO
Since Colorado is a tort-based insurance state, determining the cause of your bus accident is important before you may obtain monetary compensation. This implies that you will seek financial recompense from the negligent party’s insurance company. But, regardless of blame, wounded crash victims in the 12 states that follow the no-fault law must seek compensation from their own insurers. The requirement that you or your Lakewood bus accident lawyer establish liability is the price you pay for being able to hold another party accountable.
In Colorado, some of the most typical reasons for bus and RTD accidents include:
- Faulty equipment or bus malfunctions
- Failure to properly maintain the mechanical operation of the bus
- Poor bus driver training
- Distracted drivers
- Texting and driving
- Driving under the influence
- Driving too fast for conditions
- Failing to properly control the bus
- Tailgating and other acts of reckless driving
- Violating traffic laws
- Ignoring the right of way of other road occupants
Two of the most frequent reasons for bus accidents in Lakewood, Colorado, are bus driver mistakes and component failures. If the crash involves a city bus, RTD bus, or public-school bus, these types of collisions are typically preventable with the exercise of proper care by the parties involved, including the bus company, the bus driver, the school district, and the government. An attorney can assist you in your battle for monetary recompense, commonly known as damages, from the negligent parties’ insurance companies if one or more of them could have reasonably avoided your bus accident in Lakewood.
Who is liable for a bus accident?
Without an attorney’s help, determining liability—or who is financially liable—for a bus accident can be challenging. These incidents frequently entail intricate details and special components that are absent from ordinary vehicle accident situations. You might require the assistance of a lawyer to thoroughly investigate your bus accident and identify the party or parties at responsibility. Then, by looking for pertinent evidence, your lawyer can assist you in developing a case against the defendant(s). In Colorado, common instances of at-fault parties in bus accidents include:
- Bus company. If a privately owned bus was involved in your accident, you might be able to hold the corporation accountable. This might be a choice if a company employee, such as the bus driver, was careless or if the corporation made a mistake that led to the incident.
- Government agency. The government may be named as a defendant in a bus accident involving a city bus or a public school bus since this is the organization in charge of operating public buses. This could apply to a school district, the state or local government. While lawsuits against the government in Colorado have certain requirements, it is crucial to get legal counsel in these situations.
- Bus or part manufacturer. If a vehicle component, such as poor brakes or a tire blowout, contributed to your bus accident, you might be able to sue the manufacturer or distributor for product liability.
- Other driver. If a motorist outside of the bus made a mistake that caused the bus to crash, such as running a red light, then that driver may be held accountable. If this driver had been employed by a different company at the time, such as a haulage or delivery service, that company might instead be held vicariously accountable.
Several defendants are named in some bus accident lawsuits. Your chances of recovering damages will increase if your attorney can demonstrate that more persons were involved in the bus accident, since more insurance coverage would be available. By investigating all potential avenues for financial compensation, a lawyer you hire to look into your Lakewood bus accident can be of assistance to you. Any potential sources of monetary compensation will be considered by your lawyer here at Front Range Injury Attorneys.
What to do after a bus accident
If you suffer injuries in a bus accident in Lakewood, take the following steps to protect your health and your rights:
- Look for injuries on both you and the other accident participants. Do not leave the scene if you are in another car until you have spoken with the police.
- To request immediate responders to the scene, dial 911. Never fail to report a bus collision, regardless of whether anyone was hurt. A police report is acceptable as proof.
- Take pictures and gather proof. When you are still at the site, take pictures. Note the details of the bus as well as the names of all passengers and witnesses.
- Visit a hospital in Lakewood. To avoid damaging your insurance claim, don’t put off getting medical care for your injuries.
- Keep as much documentation as you can. This include documenting what happened, asking for your medical records, obtaining a copy of the police report, and maintaining an injury log as you recover.
- Submit a claim for insurance. Don’t sign anything the insurance company sends you before you’ve spoken with a bus collision attorney. Instead, file your initial claim with the bus company or the defendant’s insurer.
- Don’t give a statement. When speaking with an insurance claims adjuster about your injuries or blame for the bus accident, wait to draw any conclusions about them until you’ve consulted with a lawyer.
- Speak with a lawyer. Get legal counsel regarding obtaining financial compensation from a Lakewood bus accident attorney before moving forward with the insurance claims procedure.
How is a bus accident different from a car accident claim?
For several reasons, a claim involving a bus accident is more difficult and complicated than one involving a claim involving a regular passenger automobile. You might have to go up against a bus company or the government rather than suing another driver in court. Due to stronger insurance companies and responsibility issues, this may make it more challenging for you to win your case. Your bus accident case could have a number of complex legal components:
Colorado Government Immunity Act
The Colorado Governmental Immunity Act‘s laws and regulations must be followed if you are battling a government body. A shorter statute of limitations for injury claims is part of this. In the majority of these circumstances, a “Notice of Claim” must be submitted within 180 days of the incident.
Unique state and federal laws
Buses and other passenger-carrying entities are the only entities subject to a number of special laws. There are regulations that specify things like when other drivers must stop for school buses and how buses must behave at railroad crossings.
Multiple defendants
Several bus accident lawsuits contain multiple defendants, including the specific bus driver and the main bus corporation. By naming multiple defendants, you can hold them jointly and severally accountable for your whole damages and increase the amount of money you might receive in settlement.
Special types of evidence
Evidence in bus accidents may differ from that in a typical vehicle accident case. A black box or electronic data recorder, bus company records, the driver’s driving and medical histories, the school district’s safety files, bus maintenance logs, and federal compliance records may be included in this.
Catastrophic injuries
Numerous bus accidents are catastrophic, which means they leave their victims with permanent traumas such traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, and amputations. This may make it even more crucial that you retain legal counsel to assist you in obtaining just compensation for both your past and future medical expenses.
Whatever challenges you face when filing a bus accident injury claim, a knowledgeable and seasoned Lakewood attorney can protect your legal rights. You can handle any problems or complications that arise in a bus accident claim more easily if you hire an attorney to guide you through the process. As an accomplished lawyer carefully handles your complex case for you, you may concentrate on recovering from your injuries.
Contact a Lakewood bus accident lawyer today
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Front Range Injury Attorneys for a free legal consultation if you or a loved one has been hurt in a bus accident in Lakewood, Colorado, or the surrounding region. We will hear your experience, respond to your inquiries, and offer you individualized guidance on what to do next. As you concentrate on recovering from your severe injuries, we can handle communications with your insurance provider.
We are bus accident attorneys with extensive experience, compassion, and a track record of resolving cases. Visit our neighborhood law office for a free case review to learn how we may assist you. Call 720.826.4399 right now.