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Houston Bus Accident Lawyer
If you were seriously hurt in an accident involving a bus, you may be entitled to compensation. For strong legal representation, call Houston bus accident lawyer Hector Longoria for a free confidential consultation.
With gas prices and traffic jams on the rise, many residents of Houston are turning to public transit in order to take the headache out of their commute, get to school on time, and travel to all corners of Texas on vacation. Houston’s buses have emerged as a popular and versatile transportation option. They may ferry a few hundred riders to the urban core during rush hour, or they may make overnight trips to faraway cities like Amarillo and El Paso, but the fact is that buses remain a cost-effective means of travel.
No vehicle is accident-proof, unfortunately, and buses are no exception. Though bus accidents are considerably less common than accidents involving passenger cars, sports utility vehicles, and pickup trucks, they still happen several thousand times each year in the state of Texas. The consequences of these accidents can be dire. If you were the driver of a private vehicle or a bus passenger who was injured in a recent bus accident, once you have received medical care, you should consider reaching out to a personal injury attorney for legal guidance and representation as soon as you are able. Unlike car accident cases, all bus accidents include several parties that may be responsible, and our team of attorneys has years of experience helping accident survivors contend with their medical and legal needs.
Are Bus Accidents Really That Common?
The Greater Houston metro area is home to dozens of bus routes, all managed by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO). With METRORail still in the process of expanding its routes, METROBus is the go-to mode of public transit for most commuters across Houston and its suburbs. In addition, Houston’s many school districts rely heavily on familiar yellow buses to carry students from pre-school to high school across the city to their schools five days per week. Residents of Greater Houston, regardless of age, count on local bus services for speedy and safe transportation, and bus-related accidents in the metro area make up a small fraction of all vehicle accidents each year.
Just because bus accidents in Greater Houston can be far rarer than most other vehicular collisions are, it does not mean that this type of accident is unprecedented. In 2016, throughout the state of Texas, there were almost 3000 bus crashes, 18 of which were fatal for at least one passenger. School bus crashes were less common, but Texas was still home to over 1300 such accidents, six of which resulted in death. These statistics cannot hold a candle to the hundreds of thousands of car and truck accidents in the state each year, but bus accidents can still prove to be major, life-threatening disasters. Whether the vehicle involved in the accident was a school bus, a commuter shuttle, or an interstate motor coach, prompt legal action is necessary in order for survivors to receive compensation.
Could I Potentially Be at Fault in a Bus Accident?
It is highly unusual for a passenger or a pedestrian to be at fault in a bus accident. Far more often than not, the blame lies with the bus driver, the driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash, the company that owns the bus, the bus’s manufacturer, or even the school district that manages the bus route. Much like truck-related accidents, bus accidents can happen when drivers do not check their blind spots and do not see nearby cars and other vehicles. Bus drivers may neglect to do this if they are in the middle of a long shift, but inclement weather may play a role in reducing visibility. Distracted driving is also a common culprit; carrying on a conversation and exchanging text messages both increase the likelihood of an accident. If your Houston bus accident lawyer can prove that the bus driver was overworked, unable to deal with adverse weather conditions, or simply not paying proper attention, you may very well be entitled to damages in your lawsuit.
Alternatively, the driver of one of the other vehicles in the accident may be at fault, and an Houston bus accident lawyer would approach this type of collision differently. Passenger vehicle drivers who do not respect the rules of the road can contribute to the risk of an accident. Cutting in front of a bus, refusing to stop when a bus is making a turn, and inadvertently hiding in the bus driver’s blind spots are all patently unsafe actions, and even the most experienced of bus drivers may find it impossible to come to a stop under these circumstances. Because the bus driver may not be considered at fault in examples such as these, your attorney may consider pursuing the driver of the other vehicle in your case.
Sometimes, there is no driver at fault, and the root of the accident goes far deeper. If there is a mechanical failure immediately before the accident, the manufacturer could be sued for producing and selling an unsafe vehicle. The blame may lie instead with the private company that hired the driver and commissioned the bus for failing to provide appropriate training and maintenance. If a bus’s tire suddenly bursts or the brakes cut out, the manufacturer or private company—or both—could be to blame.
In the aftermath of a bus accident, your personal injury attorney will benefit from any information that you can provide about the accident itself, the bus, the driver, your injuries, and all other elements pertaining to the event. Your attorney’s role does not end there; the next step would be to prove liability in the accident, and this is the most critical part of every bus accident case. You can help your Bus accident lawyer by offering the contact information of any witnesses to the accident. One of our personal injury attorneys would likely hire an expert to inspect the bus and all other vehicles involved in the accident, and the bus’s maintenance logs could merit an in-depth review. All this evidence together can strengthen the case and influence a ruling in favor of the injured parties.
Bus accidents can be life-changing, scarring events, and you should not have to suffer the effects of tragedies like these. Experienced Houston bus accident lawyer Hector Longoria has provided reliable legal representation to people throughout the Houston metro area who have endured the trauma of these distressing incidents and fought for the compensation that they deserved. When you are ready to begin your case, our Houston Bus Accident Lawyer will support you at every step of your personal injury lawsuit.
Call Hector at 713-929-3996 for a free consultation, and let his experience work for you.
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Client Reviews
“Mr. Longoria just settled my 18 wheeler, rear end case this month. He got me a great settlement. He and his staff worked very hard to make sure I was feeling in better condition healthwise, went out of their way to make sure I was happy and satisfied and that I was always updated on my case.”
– Victor G.
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