Anaheim Bus Accident Lawyer

You can evaluate motor vehicle crash statistics to determine the likelihood of experiencing different types of accidents. Available data from various government agencies and nongovernment organizations indicates that when using the metric of number of crashes per vehicle miles traveled, bus accidents are actually some of the rarest accidents to occur. However, this is generally due to the fact that there are far fewer buses on the roads of California than standard passenger vehicles. Bus accidents can and do happen in the Anaheim area on a consistent basis, and due to the size of these vehicles, such accidents tend to be much more damaging than collisions involving standard passenger vehicles.

The term “common carrier” is likely to come into play in any legal proceedings related to a bus accident. This term applies to any company that provides transportation to the general public as a paid service. A few examples of organizations that would qualify as common carriers include public bus companies, taxi services, and train services.

The laws of California uphold that common carriers have higher duties of care than standard drivers due to the fact that they provide public transportation as a professional paid service. If an employee of a common carrier causes an accident due to negligence or failure to adhere to an applicable common carrier regulation, you can hold them accountable for any resulting losses with the help of an Anaheim bus accident attorney.

If you are involved in a bus accident as either a bus passenger or the driver or passenger of a vehicle struck by a bus, the incident can easily leave you with severe injuries and other damages. The personal injury statutes of California allow a person injured in a bus accident to claim several types of damages in a personal injury claim, including:

• Immediate medical expenses resulting from the crash and anticipated future medical costs if their injuries will require long-term treatment.
• Lost income and lost future earning potential if their injuries will prevent them from returning to work in the future.
• Property damage. If an accident results in damage to your personal property, you can claim the value of your damaged property in your lawsuit.
• Pain and suffering. Physical pain and psychological trauma are compensable losses in a vehicle accident claim. The amount received will reflect the overall severity of the victim’s injuries.

The potential compensation a bus accident claim plaintiff could secure can be substantial, which is another reason why it is so crucial to work with experienced Anaheim bus accident attorneys if you decide to pursue such a claim. Your legal team will have the experience to identify every available channel of compensation available to you, ensuring you maximize your recovery. If you attempt to represent yourself in a bus accident claim, you could mistakenly overlook valuable avenues of compensation and settle your claim for much less than you could secure with the help of an attorney.

When you hire an experienced team of Anaheim bus accident lawyers like the attorneys at Easton & Easton to represent your bus accident claim, you should expect your legal team to help you understand all of your available options for legal recourse. Your attorney should begin your case by thoroughly reviewing all available evidence to determine liability for your losses. It’s possible that your bus accident claim could involve more than one defendant, and the average person may not know how to secure the evidence they need to establish each defendant’s liability.

An experienced Anaheim injury lawyer can help their client by securing traffic camera footage, internal camera footage from the bus itself, vehicle computer data, and even CCTV footage from nearby businesses that may have recorded the accident as it occurred. An attorney can also help their client obtain eyewitness statements, obtain a copy of the police report of the incident, and identify persons of interest in the case that may be able to help the client establish liability for their losses.

Determining liability is just one phase of legal representation for a bus accident claim. Your Anaheim bus accident attorney must also help you review your claimable damages to ensure you maximize your recovery.

Buses are large, heavy vehicles, and when they are involved in accidents with smaller cars, the resulting damage can be devastating. Some of the most commonly reported injuries from bus accidents include:

• Bone fractures. Minor fractures may only require a few weeks or months of healing time, while severe fractures can involve nerve damage and require surgical intervention. Additionally, the large size of most public buses makes crushing injuries more likely, and severe crushing injuries to the limbs can potentially lead to amputation or permanently diminished range of motion.
• Head injuries. A traumatic brain injury can be a life-changing experience for the victim of a bus accident. Even a seemingly mild concussion can entail long-term symptoms that disrupt the victim’s life for months or even years. Severe head injuries can result in permanent disabilities.
• Spinal injuries. If the human spine suffers a serious injury, the damage could be permanent. The spinal cord allows the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. If the spinal cord is damaged, the brain may be unable to transmit neurological signals to the region of the body connected below the injury site.
• Soft tissue injuries. Crash impact forces can damage muscles, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues, sometimes to the point of requiring surgical correction. For example, whiplash is a commonly cited injury in many vehicle accident claims and describes soft tissue injuries in the head, neck, and upper back, some of which may take months or years to fully heal.
• Facial and dental injuries. If a bus accident victim is hit in the face, they may suffer permanent dental damage or facial disfigurement.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the injuries a bus accident might cause, and some bus accident victims will sustain multiple types of injuries that lead to complex prognoses and permanent disabilities in some cases.

If you intend to take legal action for the injuries you sustained in a bus accident, your Anaheim bus accident attorney will assist you in determining who is to blame for the incident. In the event your accident occurred due to the negligence of a bus driver, it is possible for liability to fall solely on the bus driver if they acted outside the scope of their employment in a way that resulted in your accident. It is also possible for the bus company to absorb liability through the legal concept of “vicarious liability,” which allows employers to face liability for their employees’ actions in some cases.

It is also possible that your bus accident occurred due to the actions of a passenger vehicle driver or a combination of factors. Your attorney will help you identify the parties responsible for causing your bus accident and establish the four main elements of negligence to hold them accountable for your losses:

1. Duty of care. All drivers have a duty of care to operate their vehicles safely.
2. Breach of duty. Your attorney must show the court how the defendant or defendants breached their duty of care in the given situation.
3. Damage. You can only file a personal injury claim if you suffered actual harm. Your attorney will help you prove the full scope of your damages.
4. Causation. You must prove your claimed damages resulted from the defendant’s negligence and not some other cause.

If you are able to establish these four elements of negligence, success with your bus accident claim is likely.

At Easton & Easton, we understand that bus accidents can easily cause devastating injuries, and your experience may have resulted in complex financial problems for you and your family due to medical bills and lost income. Our goal is to help you maximize the compensation you receive from your bus accident claim. If you are ready to discuss your options for legal recourse with an experienced and compassionate Anaheim bus accident attorney, contact Easton & Easton today to schedule a consultation with our team.