Whether you are traveling long-distance on a charter bus or just taking public transit to run errands around town, everyone involved in operating and maintaining the vehicle you are riding on should act reasonably and responsibly at all times. Unfortunately, not every bus driver meets this “duty of care” in every situation, and neither does every private company or government entity responsible for overseeing bus operations.
When negligence by one of these parties or anyone else leads to you getting seriously injured in a bus crash, you should speak with a Riverview bus accident lawyer at Distasio Law Firm as soon as possible about possible civil litigation. Navigating the various state laws governing claims of this nature can be exceptionally difficult to manage on your own, but a personal injury attorney’s help could tip the odds of a favorable final case result back in your favor.
Recovering for All Available Damages
Because Florida takes a “no-fault” approach to civil litigation built around automobile wrecks, you may be required to make a claim against your own car insurance before filing suit over an injury sustained in a bus accident. If you do have grounds to file suit, though, you can seek compensation through an ensuing lawsuit or settlement demand for every economic and non-economic form of harm you can trace directly back to the incident, including:
- All past and future medical bills not covered by insurance
- All car repair/replacement costs not covered by insurance, plus other forms of personal property damage
- Lost work income or working capacity
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional and psychological trauma
- Lost enjoyment of life
Importantly, though, you may need to specifically prove you did not contribute to causing your injuries through negligence of your own, or else Florida Statutes § 768.81 would allow the court to reduce your total damages award in proportion to your share of “comparative fault” for your losses. A skilled Riverview bus accident attorney like Scott Distasio could assist with building a strong claim against a negligent bus driver or bus company with all this in mind.
Special Rules for Public Bus Crash Claims
While lawsuits against private bus companies over bus collisions generally work the same as personal injury claims pursued against any other private person or company, claims against government entities over public transit crashes tend to work very differently. Most notably, Florida state law “caps” the amount of compensation a government entity can be held liable to pay for someone else’s injuries sustained in a public bus accident at $200,000 per injured person and $300,000 per incident.
Furthermore, state law typically requires people injured in public bus crashes in Riverview to file suit—or have a dedicated lawyer do so for them—within three years of when the accident happened. This is a shorter filing period than the four years usually allowed for personal injury litigation under Fla. Stat. § 95.11.
Contact a Riverview Bus Accident Attorney Today
No matter how or where a bus-related injury happens, you deserve to be compensated fairly for your ensuing losses if that injury only happened in the first place because of someone else’s misconduct. However, getting any payments at all through a claim like this—let alone the full amount you deserve—can be immensely challenging without support from experienced legal counsel.
A Riverview bus accident lawyer from Distasio Law Firm can stand by your side all the way to a civil courtroom if necessary. Call today to get started on your claim.
