Who can you blame for a recent bus accident? Elkhart lawyers can investigate the scene of your collision to find the evidence you need to hold bus drivers, mechanics, corporate representatives, and even government officials responsible for your losses. Our efforts can help you get the financial support you need to pay your accident-related bills.
Vaughan & Vaughan has served Indiana since 1913. Our understanding of Indiana’s civil statutes has helped survivors like you recover millions. If you’re struggling to see a road forward after a serious bus accident, you can book a free case consultation with our Elkhart personal injury lawyers.
We’ll explore your right to recover and offer you representation on a contingency fee basis.
Who’s to Blame for a Bus Accident?
Your right to hold someone responsible for a bus accident depends on what evidence of negligence you have available to you after an accident. You must have enough evidence to meet or exceed Indiana’s burden of proof if you want to hold a specific party financially responsible for your recovery.
Fortunately, working with an Elkhart, IN, bus accident attorney makes it easier to gather the data you need to make your case. We can connect with professional investigators to bring forward electronic data, photos, videos, witness statements, and even expert witness testimonies.
We can then determine what impact relevant contracts have on your right to pursue bus accident damages. The parties we most often hold responsible for our clients’ losses tend to include the following:
Busing Companies
Busing companies like Greyhound and Megabus don’t want to accept liability for accidents that their drivers cause. That’s why these companies prefer to work with independent contractors and not employees. Busing companies do not have to provide independent contractors with benefits or legal support in the wake of a collision.
However, these companies do have to support their employees. What does this mean for you in the wake of an accident? It means you should have your attorney determine what contract a bus driver was working on at the time of your collision. That driver’s contract will have a direct influence over your right to sue them or a corporate busing agency for damages.
Elkhart’s City Government
Elkhart’s city government works with independent contractors and employees alike to establish a local bus system. These bus drivers are as human as everyone else in the city and can cause dangerous accidents–but can you hold them directly responsible for their negligence? The answer, as always, depends on your circumstances.
If a city bus driver works as an Elkhart employee, you may have the right to sue the city for your accident damages. However, city employees tend to benefit from qualified immunity. You may have to work quickly or jump through other hoops to take your claim to civil court.
If you get into an accident with an independent contractor who works for the city on a contract, you may sue that individual for the damages you deserve.
Third Parties
Sometimes, neither a bus driver nor their employer are fully to blame for a bus accident. Independent motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and even construction crews can all negatively impact your safety on the road.
This is why it’s important to consider bus accidents from all angles. If it turns out you have the right to hold a construction company responsible for your losses, you don’t want to name a busing company as your liable party when filing your accident claim.
Your attorney can help you carefully sift through the evidence relevant to your accident if your case seems more complicated than it initially appeared. Vaughan & Vaughan doesn’t shy away from complex cases and will take active steps to demystify the statutes that allow you to hold specific parties responsible for your recovery.
Your Case Will Get
The Attention It Deserves
When Should You Call an Elkhart Bus Accident Lawyer?
If you want to hold any of the aforementioned parties responsible for your recent bus accident, we recommend you get in touch with a bus accident lawyer sooner rather than later. Elkhart, IN, bus accident lawyers want to make it as easy as possible for you to communicate the reality of your losses to insurance companies and civil representatives.
Moreover, we want to make sure you file for support before Indiana’s personal injury statute of limitations expires. According to Ind. Code § 34-11-2-4(a)(1), you only have until the second anniversary of your collision to hold someone else accountable for your losses.
If you’re contending with serious injuries or other day-to-day demands, it may be challenging to stay on top of your filing deadline. Fortunately, you don’t have to work alone. Your first case consultation with our team comes free of charge, and we offer representation on a contingency fee basis. We can work together to get justice for your recent collision.
There is no fee
unless you win
How Can You Ask for a Fair Bus Accident Settlement?
It can be challenging to ask for the compensation you need to recover from a bus accident. Our attorneys want you to prioritize your right to damages that fully encompass your economic and non-economic expenses. The best way to do this is to stay on top of any invoices you receive relevant to your post-accident medical care and property damage.
You can also use your paystubs to track any reductions in income or other lost wages.
Finally, our lawyers can use tried-and-tested methods to assign dollar values to your stress, reduced quality of life, and emotional distress. The total of all of these losses should accurately value your case. You can go on to refer to our calculations when demanding reasonable financial support from a liable party and their insurance company.
Don’t Miss Your Chance to Fight for Justice
Busing companies want to make it as difficult as possible for you to recover after a serious accident. You don’t have to jump through the hoops they set out for you.
You can ask a bus accident attorney in Elkhart, IN, to step in and oversee your fight for damages. Our involvement in your case can prevent busing companies, insurance providers, and other parties from abusing your rights.
Vaughan & Vaughan’s attorneys work on contingency so that every Hoosier can get the legal advice they need after an accident, no matter what their financial situation looks like. Are you ready to book your free case consultation? You can contact our office right now.
