Your children leave for the bus stop and you think they’re in good hands. Sadly that’s not always the case. Bus drivers understand they’re carrying precious cargo and do their best to drive safely but accidents can happen. One distracted moment, or another driver losing control of their vehicle, and everything changes.
What happens when there is a school bus accident?
School bus accidents are different than car accidents.
During a car accident you exchange insurance information with the other drivers and file a claim with your insurance company. You may file a police report. If you’ve been injured, you call Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, your personal injury attorney. It can be complicated and messy in its own right, but the process of calling the police, getting the other driver’s contact information, and filing an insurance claim is relatively straightforward.
Who is at fault for a school bus accident?
We need to understand how the accident happened to determine who is at fault. There are many factors that can result in an accident happening including but not limited to:
- Fatigued drivers
- Poorly trained drivers
- Intoxicated drivers
- Distracted drivers
- Mechanical failures due to poor maintenance
Needless to say, determining the fault and the extent of that fault is not a simple matter. We review evidence from the accident including witness statements, maintenance logs, video evidence, and physical evidence from the vehicle itself.
During this investigative process we’ll find out who the responsible parties are and the role that they played in the accident.
Depending who is at fault will determine who may be pursued as part of a claim.
School buses and “notice of claim.”
When dealing with school bus accidents in particular, it is very important that the proper school officials and government entities receive what is called a “notice of claim.”
In short, in order to pursue your claim against these officials or entities, a notice of your claim needs to be given, and given properly, within 180 days of the accident or you risk losing your claims altogether.
This is much different than your run-of–the-mill auto accident where you have two years from the accident to bring a lawsuit before the statute of limitations runs.
You need Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer, an experienced personal injury lawyer, to pursue your claim by:
- Investigating the accident.
- Gathering evidence, medical bills, photos, accident reports, witness statements, and insurance policies.
- Properly filing your notice of claim.
- Filing a lawsuit if your case cannot be settled.
- Assisting in completing lengthy and burdensome discovery requests from the defense attorneys.
- And ultimately representing you at mediation, arbitration and/or trial.
Each Phoenix school bus accident is different.
Working with Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer will give you peace of mind that your case is being handled by an experienced personal injury attorney who understand the complexities of school bus accidents and bringing claims against government entities.
We will keep you updated as your case progresses and will contact you to schedule follow-up meetings.
It’s time for a free case review from the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer.
Contact us or call the experienced team at Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer at 602-535-5899 for a free review today.
