Bus accidents are more common as the method of transportation gains popularity. The stories of injury and death are also more common. A simple search turns up stories of 24 injured, 15 dead and the horrible driving histories attributed to some of the drivers involved in the accidents.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Administration, personal automobiles are involved in over 18,000 accidents each year. In comparison, only 221 fatal bus accidents occurred in 2009 (the most recent data available). This can provide some assurance to potential passengers, although sadly there is still plenty of work for car accident lawyers to stay busy. The corresponding information on the responsibility for such accidents is less assuring, which is something a car accident lawyer would have already been able to share with accident victims.
A bus accident can be a result of a negligent driver or other factors. However, research completed by the Federal Motor Carrier Administration has also found that 15 of 19 bus accidents are a result of driver negligence. The accident can happen on a route the driver has driven countless times before or on a trip that occurs once a month or once a year. There is no prediction to when or where an accident can occur. An injury lawyer will tell stories of numerous clients that visit their office and say they never dreamed they would be involved in an accident. In fact, no one plans to be involved in an accident at any point – there is a reason for the definition of the word, after all.
Injury lawyers take their jobs very seriously. In cases where the driver was clearly at fault, such as drivers who text while behind the wheel of a bus or who have alcohol or illegal drugs in their system at the time of the accident, the person responsible is obvious.
However, injury lawyers also know to look further than the driver in cases where the driver has an extensive history of poor driving and is behind the wheel when an accident occurs that injures or kills several innocent people. In those cases, the company that chose to employ that driver shares equal responsibility.
Some companies have operating licenses revoked as a result of such poor judgment. However, that doesn’t stop all companies that care more about money than the lives of the people they convey to events or casinos. A horrific crash in New York City that killed 15 resulted in the company’s license being revoked. The less than scrupulous company owner simply restructured his other two businesses and began using the buses for trips under the name of the other businesses.
Working with an injury lawyer can be beneficial in the fact that they can make sure the person or company responsible pays for the poor choices that led to death or injury in bus accidents. In this way, the innocent victims don’t have to feel punished for trusting in the scruples of a company that is lacking.
Bus accidents are tragic and change the lives of those involved forever. However, victims can receive some sort of closure by finding a good injury lawyer and trusting them to help resolve the situation and ensuing court battle in a satisfactory manner.