Riverside bus accident attorneys at Bisnar Chase have spent over 45 years representing victims injured in bus accidents, establishing an impressive 99% success rate.
With over $750 million won for our clients, contact us to see if we can help maximize your compensation. Taking the bus is a cost-effective way to get around Riverside County. In September 2013, The Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) received a first-place AdWheel Award from the American Public Transportation Association for its many accomplishments in the fiscal year 2012.
The RTA experienced historic highs in ridership that year because more and more Riverside residents were using mass transit. Riding the bus is typically safe, but journeys can result in devastating injuries or fatalities when mishaps occur.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, contact us today at 951-530-3711 to speak to one of our experienced inland empire personal injury lawyers for a FREE consultation.
Under California personal injury law, you are entitled to compensation for your injuries and your pain and suffering. Bisnar Chase will deliver you the compensation that will cover the cost of your recovery. If we don’t, you don’t pay a dime!
Riverside Bus Accident Resources
Common Causes of Riverside Bus Accidents
There are many reasons why bus accidents occur in Riverside County. The most common causes include the following:
- Driver negligence: Speeding, distracted, or impaired driving can put passengers and others on the roadway at significant risk. Federal law also requires bus drivers and other commercial operators to get adequate rest before they get on the road. The drivers must maintain records logging the hours they drive and the hours they rest.
- Company negligence: It is not only the responsibility of companies to hire skilled drivers but also to make sure the vehicles are properly maintained. The bus company can be held liable when a crash occurs due to poor vehicle maintenance. The company, as the employer, can also be held liable when a crash occurs due to driver negligence.
- Defective products: If a defective product causes a bus accident, the manufacturer of that defective part can be held liable
In this ABC News video, they discuss the dangers of buses, and more specifically, the safety of our children in school buses, where seat belts are not required.
School Bus Accidents in the US
School bus accidents are a major problem in the United States. They are one of the leading causes of death for children ages 5 to 14. There were over 16,000 school bus accidents in 2016 alone.
On average, there are over 6,000 children injured in school bus accidents each year. In 2010, there were 4,000 children injured in school bus accidents. This number was higher than in any year before 2008.
A study also found that the majority of these school bus accidents happened on rural roads with two-lane paved roads and paved secondary roads as well as unpaved roads. The most common causes of these crashes were driver inattention, speeding, following too closely, and driving off the road.
There is not always a clear cause for school bus accidents, and many factors can contribute to the accident’s severity. These factors include poor road conditions, distracted driving, drunk driving, and bad weather conditions.
Lack of seat belts on school buses
No specific law or regulation requires children to be buckled in on school buses. Many factors contribute to this high number of injuries, including poor road conditions, distracted driving, and bad weather conditions. School bus drivers are not required by law to keep their child passengers safe by having them buckle up before getting on the bus, and this continues to pose a significant threat to their safety.
Regulators continue to seek legislation to implement seat belts on school buses. It’s outrageous that this common-sense safety measure is long overdue.
California Bus Accident Statistics
Of the 311 people killed in bus accidents nationwide in the year 2009, 39 were in California. Another 1,140 people were injured in California bus accidents during that same year.
Of the 2,815 motor vehicle crashes that resulted in traffic deaths, 23 involved buses. Between the years 2001 and 2010, there were 1,236 fatal school transportation-related crashes nationwide. That is not a huge percentage, but with every bus collision resulting in a high number of casualties, it is more than enough.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fatal school bus-related crashes accounted for only .34 percent of the total fatal motor vehicle accidents during that time period.
Of the 1,368 people killed in school transportation-related mishaps, 72 percent were people who were in other vehicles, 21 percent were non-occupants such as pedestrians and bicyclists and 7 percent were occupants of school vehicles.
Riverside Bus Crashes
There have been many bus accidents in and near Riverside County recently. In one such accident, 13 people were injured when a bus left the roadway and came to rest against a fence.
According to media reports, the Riverside County accident occurred when the driver tried to get on a highway exit ramp on Interstate 10. Investigators determined that the driver was going too fast and had lost control of the vehicle. Of the injuries suffered, 11 were considered minor, and two were classified as moderate, including a broken arm.
In another highly-publicized bus accident in Riverside County, 13 passengers were killed, and another 31 people were injured in a crash in 2016.
It is a common misconception that these types of accidents are not particularly dangerous because buses are larger than other vehicles and hence safer. Unfortunately, passengers can get thrown around inside a bus during a collision and suffer blunt force trauma.
A majority of buses do not have seat belts or other safety devices commonly found in smaller vehicles such as front and side airbags. Therefore, passengers can get easily thrown from their seats or even ejected onto the pavement, particularly in rollover accidents. They can even get hit by flying debris inside the vehicle.
Who is At Fault When it Comes to Bus Accidents?
The first step in receiving compensation is to identify and determine who was at fault for the accident that you were involved in. During your free consultation, our skilled Riverside bus accident attorneys will take the details of the case that you convey to them and then help you determine who was responsible for the bus accident as well as how to take action against that party.
If a school bus was the catalyst to the accident you were involved in, then it is possible to hold the school district that owns that bus liable in a court of law. The school district’s responsibility is to hire and train drivers that can safely transport children from point A to point B without endangering others on the road.
It is also the school district’s responsibility to maintain its buses, and failure to do so is negligence. If the school district or a driver of the school district acted negligently and this course of action led to your injuries, these parties may be held liable for your injuries.
If the bus is owned by a private company, then that company may be held liable for our injuries. It is the bus owner’s responsibility to transport those using the bus to travel safely. In addition, if the bus belonging to the bus owner hurts another individual, it is the owner’s responsibility to compensate for their injuries.
Finally, the bus owner must perform routine maintenance on all the vehicles they own. Many accidents derive from faulty parts as a result of poor maintenance, and the owner will be held liable in cases like this.
Government bodies may also be held liable for bus accidents if the vehicle was owned by the state or local government or if the accident was catalyzed by hazardous road conditions that should have been fixed. The responsibility lied with a government body or agency to fix these hazards.
In addition, bus drivers share the road with many drivers, and not all of them hold safety in high regard. If another driver’s recklessness or negligence set off a bus accident, that driver can be held liable for your injuries.
The key in these cases is to determine whose negligence or lack of pro-activeness led to your injuries. Suppose you lost a loved one in one of these types of accidents. In that case, you may additionally file a wrongful death case to compensate for lack of companionship and additional pain and suffering.
Wrongful death cases are considered civil and not criminal. This is why your bus accident lawyer in Riverside can help you take legal action in these types of cases.
What to Do after a Riverside Bus Accident
Anyone injured in an accident should make sure that the authorities have been notified, file a police report, and write down important details such as the bus driver’s name, vehicle license plate, and registration details. It is also important that accident victims seek medical attention immediately to maximize their chances of recovery.
Bus companies owe their passengers the “utmost duty of care.” This means that they have a legal obligation to transport their passengers safely. If an accident or injury occurs during transit, it is the responsibility of the company to ensure that passengers are fairly compensated for their losses.
If you have been seriously injured in an accident, it would also be in your best interest to contact one of our experienced Riverside bus accident attorneys, who will remain on your side, fight for your rights and ensure that you are fairly and fully compensated for all your losses.
Seeking Damages From a Riverside Bus Accident Injury
Accident victims can seek compensation for damages, including medical expenses, lost wages, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, pain and suffering, and emotional distress.
The amount you could recover will depend on the specific circumstances of your accident. Generally speaking, the more significant the impact of an accident on the victim, the more it will be worth in terms of a lawsuit.
Compensation for damages can include the following:
- Lost wages
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Property damage
- Loss of consortium (if applicable)
These bus accidents can devastate the victims, their families, and their communities. In the worst cases, the victims may be unable to seek compensation for their personal injury. That’s why knowing what kind of legal support is available if you suffer a bus accident is essential.
These claims can be very complex, so it’s crucial to find an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you get the compensation you deserve.
An experienced Riverside bus accident lawyer can also help you understand the law around fatal bus accidents and how it applies to your case. With the right help, you can ensure that your family gets the justice and financial support they need after a tragic bus accident.
Contact Our Bus Accident Attorneys in Riverside
The experienced Riverside bus accident lawyers at Bisnar Chase can help guide you through the claim process and ensure that your rights are protected every step of the way. Do not talk to insurance companies or legal representatives of the bus company. Do not accept a settlement or sign an agreement until you have discussed your case with your injury lawyer.
Your case evaluation is free. Please contact one of our Riverside bus accident attorneys right away to obtain more information about seeking damages and pursuing your legal rights after a bus accident injury.
Call us at (951) 530-3711 for a free consultation.
