When we talk of road traffic accidents our first thought is that this typically involves two or more cars.
However, road traffic accidents incorporate all sorts of vehicles and pedestrians. One of the rarer sorts of road traffic accident claims is that which involve buses. If you or your lawyer can demonstrate that the injuries you sustained whilst on a bus were due to the negligence of a third party driver, you have a very real chance of obtaining compensation for those injuries – at the end of the day you are the innocent victim of someone else’s negligence.
Here are a few circumstances where you might have a claim:
- The bus is involved in a collision with another vehicle which is either the driver’s fault or the fault of a negligent third party. You have suffered injuries because you are an innocent passenger; you can more than likely receive compensation in this scenario.
- The bus has been involved in a collision that is not with another vehicle – say the bus has tried to go under a low bridge and has come unstuck. Again, if you are injured, as an innocent passenger, you have a very good claim for compensation.
- The bus you were travelling on has not been involved in a collision but has braked suddenly and you have been thrown forward and been injured or have been violently jolted and sustained whiplash say. This sort of claim is far more trickier and whether you can be compensated depends on whether the driver was negligent. Below are a few factors which will need to be considered:
- Was the driver performing a necessary emergency stop, i.e. did a pedestrian walk in front of the bus and the driver try to prevent a collision? If so, it is unlikely that you can be compensated because the driver acted very reasonably.
- Did the driver brake suddenly because they were not concentrating on the perils ahead? If so, the driver may have been negligent and you could be compensated.
- The driver did not allow you time to get your seat and you were knocked down when the bus set off. You may have a potential claim – but it is important to realise that there are numerous safety handles for you to hold onto.
The above are just a few types of potential bus accidents and so it is best if you have another scenario to get in touch with an expert injury lawyer who would be able to advise.
If you have been involved in a bus accident try and get as many details as possible about the bus (registration number, driver, journey) and/or the vehicles in which it has been involved in a collision with if appropriate. Please also remember to report the accident to the bus company as soon as possible and ask them to keep hold of any CCTV footage. Furthermore, if there were any witnesses, try and get hold of their details too.
For some no obligations free legal advice get in touch with the quality lawyers at The Injury Lawyers.
