Port St. Lucie Bus Accident Lawyer
Our community relies on bus transportation to get children to school and help adults go to work or run errands. Port St. Lucie is lucky to have the ART bus system available for the public, but many other buses are pulling in and out of our neighborhoods, including charter and school buses. If you have been hurt in an accident, you should review whether you can sue. Both bus passengers and other motorists on the road could bring a claim for compensation when they are hurt. Call our Port St. Lucie bus accident lawyer at Smith, Ball & Báez today for more information. You do not want to lose out on important legal rights.
Bus Accident Injuries & Your Ability to Receive Compensation
Bus accidents are often more dangerous than a typical car accident. Bus passengers can suffer terrible injuries when their bus hits another vehicle or is run off the road. Because few buses have seatbelts, passengers can be tossed around and collide with the seats or each other. For motorists on the road, crashing into a bus is also serious, possibly fatal. Buses are very large and much heavier than smaller vehicles.
Any collision can lead to serious bodily injuries, such as:
- Neck injuries—whiplash, compressed nerves, contusions, or cervical fracture
- Head injuries—traumatic brain injury, concussion, scalp lacerations
- Fractures—ribs, pelvis, arms, or legs
- Crush injuries leading to amputation
- Organ damage—collapsed lung, heart contusion, kidney damage
- Facial injuries—blindness, disfigurement, orbital fracture
Even if you think you only suffered minor injuries, you should still head to the hospital. A doctor might order tests to determine the real cause of any pain you feel. Early medical intervention helps keep minor injuries from degenerating into major disabilities.
Also, you need to see a doctor within 14 days to receive personal injury protection benefits. Anyone who registers a car should have PIP coverage, which often applies in bus accidents. Unfortunately, any failure to go to the hospital within 14 days could make you ineligible to receive any benefits.
Once your lawyer identifies who is to blame for the crash, we can bring a lawsuit or file an insurance claim. We typically seek compensation for medical bills, rehabilitation, future medical expenses, income loss, and pain and suffering. Anyone who was struck while driving their own vehicle should also recover damages for car repairs.
Decades of Experience
Bus accidents are unique. They have many causes, and you might sue different people. For example, if your accident involves an ART bus or a school bus, then you ultimately might sue the government. That is very hard to do because the Florida Tort Claims Act restricts these types of lawsuits. You benefit from hiring a lawyer with the right mix of experience in bus accident cases to determine whether you can bring a legal claim.
Call Smith, Ball & Báez today. Our Port St. Lucie bus accident lawyer can help collect evidence of the crash and coordinate with bus companies about the investigation into your collision.
