Posts tagged: accident injury claims

Suffering an injury in a bus accident is one of the worst situations you can endure in Florida. If you choose to file a personal injury claim, you might not know where to start. There are special considerations that apply when you’re a passenger in a bus that gets into an accident. A personal injury lawyer can help you.

No-fault Laws Apply

One of the main reasons why suffering a bus accident injury and filing a claim is complex is due to Florida’s no-fault laws. This means that regardless of who is at fault for the accident your claim must be filed with your own auto insurance company. As part of your policy, you should have personal injury protection (PIP) coverage to cover the costs of your medical bills in the event of an accident that results in injury.

The only exception to this rule is if the bus accident caused you to suffer severe injuries or a permanent disability. In that situation, you can file your personal injury claim directly against the bus driver or bus company.

Notify Your Insurance Company

The first step in your personal injury claim is to notify your insurance company of the bus accident. However, it’s important to stick to the bare facts and avoid saying too much; just explain the accident itself and the nature of your injuries. Insurance companies often try to minimize your injuries to pay as little a settlement as possible. In some situations, you might want to have your personal injury attorney speak directly with an insurance adjuster on your behalf.

Gather Evidence to Support Your Claim

All accident injury claims need as much evidence as possible. This includes photos and videos of the accident scene as well as damages and your injuries, your medical records and medical bills, witness statements, and your recollections of the events. If you were unable to capture your own photos and videos of the accident, your personal injury attorney might be able to obtain them from cameras around the area where the bus accident occurred.

Keeping a journal related to your bus accident injury can also help strengthen your claim. Mention how your injuries have affected you physically and mentally on a daily basis. You may want to keep copies of your medical records in your journal to strengthen your claim.

File Within the Statute of Limitations

All accident injury claims must be filed within the appropriate statute of limitations. In Florida, this period of time is four years from the date of your bus accident. This applies when your claim is filed directly against the bus driver or bus company. However, if you are going through your own PIP coverage, you must also seek medical attention within 14 days of filing a claim with your auto insurance provider.

Failing to file within the appropriate time in either situation means that you may forfeit your right to recover compensation for your bus accident injuries. Your personal injury lawyer can help you prepare your claim and ensure that you file in a timely manner.
If you have suffered injuries in a bus accident in Florida, time is of the essence. Contact Kosto Injury Law at your earliest convenience to discuss your case.

In a bus accident injury, several parties may be held accountable. These include the bus driver, the bus company, and the government agency responsible for maintaining the roads. It is essential to consult with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after an accident injury, as there are time limits for filing accident injury claims and gathering evidence. Below is a detailed explanation of how the four parties could be held responsible for your accident injury.

The Driver of the Bus

The bus driver is one of the first people to be held accountable for any bus accident injuries. Depending on their actions leading up to the crash, they could be found negligent in causing or contributing to your injury. The driver’s employer may also be held liable if they did not take appropriate steps in training them or ensuring they were fit to drive. If a mechanical issue caused or contributed to the crash, the company that maintained and checked the vehicle might also be liable.

The Bus Company

Suppose it is found that there was a mechanical failure with the bus itself, which led to an accident. In that case, liability may be attached to the company responsible for maintaining it. This could include anything from inadequate maintenance to defective parts that contributed to an accident occurring in some way, shape, or form. In such cases, passengers may have recourse against both parties – those responsible for maintaining and inspecting buses and always operating them safely. 

Other Drivers Involved

If another vehicle was involved in your bus accident, their driver could also be held accountable for your injuries. This can extend even to those who weren’t directly involved in causing or contributing to the crash but whose carelessness made it more likely that an accident would occur. For example, if another motorist was speeding at the time of impact, this could make them liable for any damages resulting from that speed. 

Government Agencies

Finally, government entities may also be held responsible if their negligence played a role in causing or contributing to your bus accident injury. This includes local and state governments and federal agencies such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). They may have failed to properly ensure that all buses were safe and well-maintained, which could make them liable for any damages incurred by passengers due to this failure.

Conclusion

Suppose you’ve been injured in a bus accident. In that case, you must understand who can be held accountable and liable for any damages incurred due to this incident. Determining who is at fault will help you decide which parties should bear responsibility for paying for medical costs, lost wages, and other expenses associated with your injury claim. In this case, a personal injury attorney will be needed to help determine who is liable for the accident and assist in filing accident injury claims. They can also help navigate the legal process and ensure that victims receive fair compensation for their injuries. If You are in search of a professional injury lawyer, contact Kosto Injury Law for consultation or for hire.

There are steps you should take after a bus accident if you have been injured by a vehicle or by flying debris. In addition, if you see someone injured, there are things you can do to help that person out. If you or a loved one has sustained a personal injury through an accident on a bus, the following advice can provide helpful tips on handling the accident’s aftermath.

Call 911

If you or anyone else is injured, call 911 immediately and give the dispatcher your location. If possible, stay on the phone with them until help arrives and provide as much information as possible.

Seek Medical Attention

After a bus accident, you may be in shock or pain. You may have an accident injury that doesn’t appear to be bad enough to be treated at the accident scene. But even if your injuries seem minor, they can worsen later if they aren’t properly treated. Seek medical attention whether you think you need it or not. A doctor can tell if you have a bus accident injury like internal bleeding or other serious injuries that may require immediate medical attention.

Document the Bus Accident

If you are involved in a bus accident, it is important to document the events before and after the accident. It helps when seeking accident injury claims.

When documenting a bus accident, take notes on what happened. Include all details of what occurred before, during, and after the accident. This will help you remember important details about what happened during the incident and may even help identify any issues with what happened immediately before or after the accident occurred.

Take pictures of any damage done to your vehicle if possible. If there are injuries involved, take photos of these as well so they can be used as evidence later on if necessary. If possible, try to get contact information for anyone involved in the bus accident so that they can provide statements about what happened, if necessary.

File a Report with Your Insurance Company

File a report with your insurance company as soon as possible. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s not uncommon for people to wait until the next day or even longer before contacting their insurer. If you wait too long, the insurance adjuster may have trouble getting all the information they need from witnesses and other drivers involved in the accident; this will generally delay your accident injury claims.

Contact a Bus Accident Lawyer

When you are involved in an accident, you must immediately contact a personal injury attorney. This is especially true if the other driver was at fault or you were injured during the accident. The insurance company will likely try to settle with you on the spot and get you to sign an agreement that says you are not at fault, but this could cost you thousands of dollars down the road. A personal injury attorney will review your documents and determine who was at fault for the accident and what compensation you may receive.

Your safety is always your priority in the aftermath of a bus accident. But don’t let that distract you from your responsibilities. You need to communicate with those around you, collect evidence from the scene itself, and file the appropriate paperwork if you want to make a case for yourself. Never assume that another driver or their insurance company should take care of things for you. Sometimes, it takes proactive guidance to help you get through this harrowing situation. You should also contact Kosto Injury Law for help in getting the compensation you deserve.