Everything You Need to Know About Claiming Compensation After Bus Accidents

Have you or someone close to you been in a bus accident? Then you need to know how to claim the compensation you need for damages. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about bus accident compensation.

What is Bus Accident Compensation?

Any vehicle crash can cause an injury. But because buses are so much bigger and heavier than most vehicles on the road, these accidents are even more likely to cause serious injuries that require compensation.

Bus accident compensation exists to help people deal with the costs of the accident. Some of those costs are monetary, while others might involve hard-to-measure factors like emotional issues resulting from the accident.

For example, after a bus accident, you might need to pay for damage to your car and for medical care. But you also might need to pay for lost days of work, and the fear of starting to drive again. Compensation helps make up for all of the different kinds of damages that add up.

Bus Accident Injuries

While many of the damages from a bus accident are hard to measure, these big-vehicle collisions almost always result in injuries. Let’s take a look at some of the injuries that often result from bus accidents.

Broken Bones

A broken bone can happen if a collision caused you to get thrown against the interior of your car, or the bus. Passengers on buses rarely wear seatbelts, creating an easy way for broken bones to occur. If a pedestrian gets hit by a bus while walking, this is also a common occurrence.

Broken bones can have severe long-term negative effects. They take a long time to recover from and can result in lots of lost wages as well as medical bills. In the case of some fractures, the bones may never recover fully, which can impact the quality of life for years to come.

Brain or Spinal Injuries

This is another one of the most serious injuries that can result from bus accidents.

If someone hits their head, or experiences trauma to their neck or back, a brain or spinal cord injury might result. Even minor injuries of this sort can have serious effects. The result can impact everything from vision to mental health to physical abilities.

The brain and spinal cord are responsible for every one of the body’s functions. At worst, these injuries might result in complete paralysis (if not death). But even best-case-scenario injuries of this type can be very traumatic.

Whiplash

Whiplash is often seen as a less-serious type of injury, and it’s very common in vehicle accidents of all sorts. However, if you’re in a bus accident, it’s still important that you take the possibility of whiplash seriously.

Whiplash happens when the sudden crash causes the neck or head to “whip” around. It often doesn’t feel serious at first, but whiplash causes serious problems when you ignore it. Even seemingly “minor” bus crashes require medical attention to make sure minor injuries won’t turn into serious issues.

Cuts and Bruises

Soft-tissue injuries like abrasions, bruises, and cuts can also happen because of a bus crash. This can result from coming into contact a piece of the bus or another involved vehicle, such as a broken windshield.

Again, these injuries might seem small. That little cut looks like no big deal once it stops bleeding. However, any injury that involves broken skin is prone to infection. Bruises can hide more serious injuries below the skin.

What To Do if You Get in an Accident

Anytime you’re in a bus accident, you’ll need to take the right steps to protect yourself and get the compensation you may need. Here’s what to do.

1. Seek Medical Treatment

Bus accidents can result in all kinds of injuries, such as the common ones listed above. Even injuries that seem minor might need medical attention, so this should always be your first step.

The bus driver may be the first to call 911, but if they don’t and you are able to you should. It’s also important to make sure a police officer arrives at the scene to make a report.

2. Watch What You Say

It’s very important to speak carefully to police officers, bus staff, and anyone else n the scene. You don’t want to say anything that might imply the accident was partially (or entirely) your fault. Even making apologies can be taken out of context. The less you say, the better.

3. Document the Scene

If you’re able to, document the scene by taking pictures and getting contact information from witnesses. This information may help your claim later on.

4. Find a Lawyer

After these initial steps, it’s a good idea to start seeking out a bus accident lawyer.

Bus accident compensation can get complicated. For example, you might need to file a notice of claim or similar document with the right government agency, if a city or state bus driver was at fault.

Navigating the details of the case on your own is difficult, and won’t get you the compensation you deserve. A lawyer can help you get better results with less work.

Finding the Right Lawyer for Bus Accidents

Don’t work with just any lawyer. In these cases, you should find a lawyer who’s experienced with bus accidents and the unique legal situations they can create.

Have you been in a bus accident in the Birmingham area? We can help you get the compensation you need. Contact us at (205) 324-1212.