When you are injured in a bus accident in Sarasota, you could be entitled to compensation from the parties responsible for causing it. Bus accidents can be especially dangerous to passengers and others on the roadway and often extend beyond simple insurance claims for personal property damage.
A Sarasota bus accident lawyer can help you evaluate your damages and demand the appropriate financial compensation. You deserve representation from a trusted trial attorney; call us today.
The injuries from bus accidents are typically more severe than other motor vehicle collisions. Buses are larger than other vehicles on the road, meaning a stronger impact, especially when they collide with smaller cars, cyclists, or pedestrians.
Additionally, buses often carry many passengers who are more vulnerable than other people on the road: They might not be wearing seatbelts or standing rather than sitting. Common injuries resulting from bus accidents involve broken bones, TBIs, and spinal cord damage. A skilled attorney in Sarasota understands bus accident claims and will gather the evidence needed to prove the severity of a person’s injuries.
Assessing liability immediately after a commercial vehicle accident can be challenging. Multiple parties could bear fault, making it difficult to know who is responsible for compensating the injured person. For example, the negligent actors could be other drivers on the road, the bus driver, or another party.
Depending on the circumstances, the driver’s employer could be at fault since Florida law extends vicarious liability to bus companies when employees act negligently on the job. This type of liability could also exist in cases where an employer is negligent in hiring a driver. For example, if the employer failed to conduct a proper background check. Vicarious liability is a common issue in bus accident cases because most buses operate for the benefit of a private company or local government.
Compensation for injuries related to a bus wreck could be available through the at-fault party’s personal or commercial insurance policy; however, insurance coverage is not always enough to compensate the injured person for their losses. Filing a lawsuit could be necessary in these cases to obtain a judgment for personal liability. The deadline to file this civil action in Florida is two years under the state’s statute of limitation period.
The court and jury could award the following types of compensation to an injured person following a commercial bus crash:
While Florida has few limits on the amount of damages available to those injured in bus accidents, the state imposes strict rules on comparative fault. Under Florida Statute 768.81(6), an injured person who is more than 50 percent at fault for causing their own injury in a bus accident will not be able to receive compensation from the other liable party. With the help of an experienced Sarasota lawyer, a plaintiff can prove that another party who caused the bus collision is responsible for their injuries.
The many rules applicable to Florida personal injury lawsuits make retaining a Sarasota bus accident lawyer crucial to the success of your case. We are available to our clients 24/7 and we are committed to building strong relationships with our clients on their journey to recovering the full value of their damages.
We strive to make a difference in injured clients’ lives following a Sarasota bus accident by being a resource at every stage of the process. Call us today to learn more and schedule a free confidential consultation.
