Riding the bus is a great way to support cleaner air, especially in our beautiful—but smoggy—city of Los Angeles. You are a responsible, conscientious citizen, and we applaud you. Unfortunately, it only takes one accident to get you off the bus and into the hospital, neck-deep in medical bills. Buses have become safer and major injuries have decreased, but if you fall into the minority who has suffered a serious injury due to a bus accident, you deserve compensation.
Responsible Parties
There are a variety of parties that may be held liable in the event of a bus accident. These parties include the bus driver, the driver of another automobile, the bus operating company, and the bus maintenance company. Different parties may be responsible because an accident can happen for many reasons. It takes an expert personal injury attorney to determine who should provide compensation in your particular situation.
Bus Accident Law
The common carrier law is the law that encompasses all individuals or businesses that transport people, goods, or services for a fee, and offer services to the general public under license or authority provided by the government. Basically, this includes buses, taxis, trains, ferries, airplanes, and other modes of transportation. The law holds these individuals or companies to a high standard of safety, higher than the average driver on the road. If you are a victim of a bus accident, the common carrier law may support your claim.
Here is the actual code of law:
902. Duty of Common Carrier: Common carriers must carry passengers [or property] safely. Common carriers must use the highest care and the vigilance of a very cautious person. They must do all that human care, vigilance, and foresight reasonably can do under the circumstances to avoid harm to passengers [or property].
While a common carrier does not guarantee the safety of its passengers [or property that it transports], it must use reasonable skill to provide everything necessary for safe transportation, in view of the transportation used and the practical operation of the business.
As with any personal injury case, special rules apply in each situation. With bus accidents or other common carrier incidents, victims are required to file their claim within a certain amount of time. There may also be other deadline hoops to jump through before the claim itself. The easiest way to protect your rights in this situation is to contact a personal injury attorney. These types of accidents are part of their area of practice. Call C and M Law Corporation at (310) 808-3939 today for help with your bus accident case.
