Many people use buses daily to commute to and from school, work, and a variety of other locations. When these buses get into accidents, they may be harmed by impacts with fixed objects, broken glass, and other unexpected elements. If you were in a similar situation, a LaGrange bus accident lawyer from John Foy & Associates can support you in your efforts to recover compensation from the party that caused the accident.
Reach out to our Lagrange personal injury lawyer to learn more about your legal options.
Buses Are Safe, Usually
People assume that riding a bus is safer than driving a car, but this is not always true. Although buses are subject to various regulations intended to make them safe to use, sometimes bus operators skirt their responsibilities. When they do, accidents become far more likely to happen.
Regular maintenance and inspections are mandatory, as is record-keeping for these services. Yet, many bus operators attempt to cut costs by operating buses that have not been maintained and inspected properly. This sometimes causes accidents that could have been avoided.
You should not be afraid to ride on a bus, but it helps to be informed of this if you have recently been injured in a bus accident. There is a potential that the bus company or bus maintenance provider is actually to blame for the accident rather than the driver. A bus accident lawyer in LaGrange will help you determine exactly who was responsible.
Start Filing a Bus Accident Claim
A LaGrange bus accident attorney with a background in fighting for the rights of bus accident victims can help you recover compensation from the liable party behind your bus accident. This depends on the context of the accident. To find out who is actually responsible, your attorney will go through several steps.
Case Evaluation
Through the case evaluation process, your lawyer will get familiar with your case details. This is done before filing a claim to ensure that filing is actually warranted. In the case of bus accidents, it almost never makes sense not to file. If you were injured while riding a bus that got into an accident, there is basically no way your injuries are your own fault.
Investigation
Once the details of the case are understood, your attorney will work to figure out who is at fault. This could be one of several parties, including the bus manufacturer, the bus company, the bus driver, or a bus maintenance company. Other drivers may also be responsible for causing the accident that injured you.
To find out who is at fault, evidence must be gathered. If possible, concerned parties may be interviewed to determine if they have testimony that will support your claim. Video recordings of the accident scene can also be leveraged to find out exactly what happened.
It is often necessary to collect documentation and records from the bus operators themselves, which can be incredibly difficult without relying on the expertise of a LaGrange bus accident lawyer.
Calculating Damages
Your damages are the amount of losses you have incurred due to the accident that injured you. If you hire a lawyer to calculate your damages, they will review medical records and estimate exactly what your losses are. They will also consider property damage when coming up with the total damages.
The damages you can claim include non-economic and economic losses. Your economic damages include monetary losses, such as medical bills and lost wages. Non-economic damages are similar, but they include any intangible losses you suffered due to the bus accident.
To find out your non-economic damages, your LaGrange bus accident lawyer will assess the severity of your injuries and the mental and emotional effects they have had on you.
Filing the Claim
If your attorney has not done so already, they will file the claim at this point. This will alert the defendant that you are seeking compensation from them. They will alert their insurance company and begin creating a defense. Do not worry. If you hire an effective lawyer, it is possible to overcome the legal defense of a large bus company or the government.
Negotiation
To reach a settlement, your lawyer must negotiate on your behalf. The defendant will be working to minimize their liability by attempting to prove that you were somehow at fault. A good LaGrange bus accident lawyer will not allow this.
They will fight for your right to full compensation, no matter how long it takes.
Settle or Go to Court
Once negotiations end, the defendant will either offer a settlement or decline to settle. If the settlement they offer is too small or they refuse to settle, the next step is going to court. At this point, having an attorney representing you is essential.
The defendant will absolutely have a lawyer to protect their interests, so protect yours with a LaGrange bus accident lawyer.
Hiring a Bus Accident Attorney in LaGrange Is Critical
When entering into a bus accident lawsuit, having all of the legal support you can manage is essential. Without knowledge of how the civil courts operate, you will be severely disadvantaged throughout the claims process. The defendant will take advantage of this fact to offer you little or no compensation.
Do not take the risk of representing yourself. Instead, hire a LaGrange bus accident lawyer from John Foy & Associates. We have a variety of lawyers whom you can work with and each has a history of successful trials.
We know you care about winning the compensation you deserve, so make the best choice available. Get in touch with one of our attorneys today to schedule a free case evaluation. You can reach out to us by filling out the contact form on this page.
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