After a bus accident in Houston, victims might understandably be reeling. With the right preparation, though, you can take steps after a bus accident that will help your case later.
You can do several things that will get you that much closer to the compensation you deserve. First, call the police and document the scene if you can. While it might go without saying, be sure to get medical care after your bus accident. Our Houston bus accident attorneys can take your case from there and put your efforts to use.
If you suffered injuries in a negligent bus accident, our Houston bus accident attorneys can help you determine what steps to take next. Call The Queenan Law Firm, P.C. today at (817) 476-1797 for a free case review.
What Should I do After Getting Injured in a Bus Accident in Houston?
Few accidents can be as catastrophic as bus accidents. Houston is a large city with a thriving tourism industry, making bus accidents more likely to occur. If your injuries allow you, there are several steps you can take to give yourself the best chance of recovering compensation from the liable party later. Even if your accident was minor, you should also start by calling the police to the scene and getting medical care immediately after getting injured. After receiving medical care, our Houston bus accident attorneys can work on your case immediately to recover the compensation you need as quickly as possible.
Call 911
It is vital that you call the police after getting injured in a Houston bus accident. Police will investigate your crash, including interviewing you, the bus driver, and other parties or witnesses involved. Most importantly, the information gathered by police will be recorded in a police accident report, which our firm can help you obtain when it becomes available in a week or two following your accident. Your police report will provide all kinds of useful information, including the bus driver’s name, the company that owns the bus, their insurance information, and contact information for the liable parties and witnesses.
Document the Scene and Your Injuries
With the advent of smartphones, each of us now has the power to create powerful visual evidence with photos and videos that can be used to pursue compensation in a bus accident lawsuit. If your injuries allow, use your phone to record and photograph physical evidence of the collision and other details that could be important later. There is no such thing as taking too many photos, so be sure to photograph anything you feel will be useful. Our Dallas bus accident attorneys can review your photos and videos to build a strong narrative of how your accident was caused.
Documenting the scene includes documenting your injuries. Photographing your injuries just after suffering them can provide the strongest visceral evidence in a lawsuit. This is important since your injuries might have fully healed or be significantly better by the time your trial comes around. If your injuries are too severe to document the scene, you can ask emergency medical personnel or nearby witnesses for assistance.
Get Medical Treatment
Many bus accident victims require medical treatment after being injured in an accident. Still, you should always seek medical care following a bus accident in Houston. There are medical and practical reasons for this that are important to your later legal claims. Getting medical treatment might reveal injuries you might not have noticed until they worsened. In terms of your legal case, getting medical treatment quickly will prevent an insurance company from trying to reduce your compensation on the basis that you were not seriously injured. After receiving care, our team can help you obtain all your medical records and help you find additional medical care if necessary.
Speak with Our Bus Accident Attorneys
Bus accident cases can be much more challenging than routine car accident lawsuits. Besides the number of parties that could be liable for an accident, recovering compensation is difficult as bus drivers and busing companies often have massive insurance companies protecting their interests. To recover the compensation you deserve, you will greatly benefit from the help of our experienced Houston bus accident attorneys. We know how to investigate bus accident cases and what evidence is needed to recover damages successfully. Do not hesitate to contact our team if you have been negligently injured in a bus accident.
Common Causes of Bus Accidents in Houston
Buses are difficult vehicles to operate, and Houston is already known for aggressive driving. As such, bus accidents can be caused in several ways. Minor bus accidents can be severe, and a bus’s massive weight makes even low-impact accidents significantly more dangerous. While the bus driver is typically responsible for a bus accident from some form of negligence, other dangerous conditions could have contributed to your injuries. The following are common causes of bus accidents in Houston:
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive driving
- Fatigued driving
- Speeding
- Failure to check blind spots
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Poor weather conditions
- Mechanical problems
- Defectively manufactured bus parts
- Poor road conditions
- Road construction
Regardless of how your accident was caused, our Irving bus accident lawyers can help you recover the compensation you deserve from the party responsible.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Bus Accident in Houston?
Other parties could be liable for compensating your damages depending on how your accident occurred. In many cases, a busing company can be held liable for the negligence of its driver. However, this will depend on whether the busing company is private or public, like Houston METRO. If it is a private busing company, they can usually be held liable if the bus driver caused the accident while on the job. If the driver works for a public busing company, holding them responsible might be more difficult as public companies have more protection from liability than private ones. Our Houston bus accident attorneys can help you determine who is to blame for your injuries and file a lawsuit against them.
Our Houston Bus Accident Attorneys Can Help
If you were injured in a bus accident, our Fort Worth bus accident attorneys can help you file a lawsuit to get compensation for the harm you suffered. For a free case evaluation, contact The Queenan Law Firm, P.C. at (817) 476-1797.