Thousands of public and private buses operate within the state of Shelton on a daily basis, transporting millions of commuters and long-haul travelers each year. While most of these trips proceed safely, it is not unheard of for bus drivers, bus operating companies, and even manufacturers and mechanics to cause substantial harm to passengers through reckless or careless misconduct.
When negligence leads to accidents involving commercial buses, help from a personal injury attorney can be essential to effectively pursuing fair compensation. With guidance from a knowledgeable Shelton bus accident lawyer, you could give yourself the best chances possible of navigating successfully around legal and procedural roadblocks and securing a positive case result.
Everyone who operates a motor vehicle in Shelton assumes a “duty” towards everyone else around them to act in a reasonable way on the road. This includes those driving cars, trucks, public or commercially operated buses, or any other vehicles. This duty is actually especially significant for bus drivers, since as “common carriers,” they transport people rather than cargo.
In addition to obeying traffic laws, paying attention to surrounding vehicles and hazards, and ensuring they are physically and mentally able to drive safely at all times, bus drivers also have a duty to ensure their passengers can board and disembark safely, as well as that they remain safe while the bus is in motion. Importantly, this means that a bus accident claim can stem not just from a collision with another vehicle or a stationary object, but from any incident where a bus driver’s reckless or careless conduct directly results in a passenger’s avoidable injuries.
In the same vein, a company that manufactured or assembled a bus with faulty parts could bear liability for an incident stemming directly from such a defect, as could a mechanic who failed to replace a faulty component. A Shelton bus accident attorney could provide more information during a free initial consultation about what kinds of circumstances could potentially justify a claim.
Legal negligence has four components, all of which must have been present during a bus accident for an ensuing lawsuit or settlement demand to proceed. There must have been a duty owed to the plaintiff by the named defendant(s) to protect the plaintiff from harm, a reckless or careless action that constituted a breach of said obligation, causation of an accident through that breach, and causation of physical injury through that accident.
If all these criteria are met, an injured plaintiff may demand restitution from all negligent defendants for every form of harm the accident resulted in, including:
There are time limits under state law for filing cases of this nature, so it is best to get in touch with a knowledgeable lawyer as quickly as possible following a bus accident in Shelton.
Being involved in a private or public bus accident can wreak havoc on every part of your life, especially if you sustain injuries that will have lifelong repercussions. Fortunately, help is available in scenarios like this from experienced legal professionals who know exactly how to proactively pursue the compensation you deserve.
Help from a Shelton bus accident lawyer is just one phone call away. Reach out to our team at Berkowitz Hanna to get started.
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