If you have been involved in a bus accident in Round Rock, your life may be turned upside-down. You or a loved one might have painful, expensive and debilitating injuries from the crash. At Hill Law Firm, we represent bus accident victims in the pursuit of justice. We can go up against private bus companies or the city if you were hurt in any type of bus accident. Contact us today for a free case review.
Why Choose Our Round Rock Bus Accident Lawyer?
- Our team of Round Rock personal injury lawyers has years of experience handling bus accident claims throughout South Texas. We understand the local and state laws that apply.
- We have collected millions of dollars on behalf of our clients, including $10 million in combined settlements for a commercial bus crash with multiple victims.
- Our bus accident attorneys operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will only be charged attorney’s fees if you secure financial compensation for your losses.
Why Is it Important to Hire an Experienced Bus Accident Attorney?
Hiring an experienced bus accident attorney in Round Rock can be critical to your case for many reasons. A lawyer can help you go up against an insurance company that is likely to put its own interests above yours. Insurance companies often make it difficult to collect fair financial compensation for crash-related injuries without legal representation.
A lawyer will have a deep understanding of the state and local laws that apply to bus accident cases, as well as how to negotiate with insurance companies for maximum compensation. Your lawyer can investigate the bus accident to determine its cause, gather evidence, interview witnesses and collaborate with accident reconstruction experts if needed to build a strong case on your behalf.
Filing a Claim Against a Bus Company
Bus drivers in Round Rock have an obligation to drive their vehicles with a reasonable level of care, caution and prudence. In addition, the bus companies that hire them must properly vet and train their drivers, maintain safe fleets of buses, and take other steps to ensure the safety of bus passengers and the communities they serve. Unfortunately, bus companies often cut corners when it comes to safety, resulting in dangerous accident risks.
Bus companies are common carriers, meaning they carry passengers in exchange for money. The designation of “common carrier” places a heightened responsibility on bus companies and their drivers to comply with applicable laws. For example, commercial drivers have higher standards of care than other motor vehicle drivers. If a bus company or any of its drivers are not diligent in meeting their duties of care, it can cause preventable bus accidents.
Bus accident victims in Round Rock have the right to file insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits against the responsible parties in pursuit of financial compensation. If a sole bus driver is responsible for a crash, the bus company can generally be held vicariously liable, or responsible for the mistakes of their drivers. A lawyer from Hill Law Firm can help you complete the paperwork to file a claim against the correct party or parties after your bus accident.
Proving Negligence After a Bus Accident in Round Rock
Most bus accident cases are founded on the legal doctrine of negligence. In personal injury law, someone is negligent if that person fails to act with a reasonable level of care. Multiple negligent parties can share liability for a bus accident under Texas law.
Proving negligence requires evidence establishing four elements:
- Duty: the accused party (defendant) owed the victim a duty of care, meaning an obligation to exercise the level of care that an ordinarily prudent person would have under the circumstances.
- Breach: the defendant breached or violated the duty of care, or acted in a way that was negligent. This includes a bus company failing to meet its heightened duty of care.
- Causation: the defendant’s breach of the duty of care was the proximate or actual cause of the bus accident.
- Damages: the claimant suffered real and specific losses as a result of the bus accident, such as physical injuries or property damage.
A claimant must prove negligence based on a preponderance of the evidence, or more likely to be true than not true. An attorney can help you gather evidence to prove your case, such as accident reports, bus company records, eyewitness statements and expert witness testimony.
Potential Damages Available in a Bus Accident Lawsuit
In Texas, bus accident victims can recover damages, or financial compensation, for the losses they suffered due to another party’s negligence.
As a victim of a bus accident in Round Rock, you could be eligible for damages such as:
- Medical or hospital bills
- Future estimated medical expenses
- Physical therapy or rehabilitation
- Disability costs and accommodations
- Lost wages or capacity to earn
- Property damage repairs
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress or reduced enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
A lawyer at Hill Law Firm can review your case to help you understand its potential value. Then, we can pursue the settlement you deserve for serious injuries and losses.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Round Rock Bus Accident Claims?
You only have a limited amount of time to bring a personal injury claim for a bus accident in Round Rock. Texas has a statute of limitations, or a law that imposes a deadline on the right to file. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003 states:
TWO-YEAR LIMITATIONS PERIOD. (a) Except as provided by Sections 16.010, 16.0031, and 16.0045, a person must bring suit for trespass for injury to the estate or to the property of another, conversion of personal property, taking or detaining the personal property of another, personal injury, forcible entry and detainer, and forcible detainer not later than two years after the day the cause of action accrues.
Some circumstances can lengthen or extend the filing limit, but most cases must be brought within two years of a bus accident. Note that this time limit applies only to personal injury lawsuits; insurance claims for bus accidents should be filed much sooner.
Speak to an Experienced Round Rock Bus Accident Attorney Today
Bus accident cases can be complicated, with different legal aspects to consider compared to typical car accidents. You do not have to recover from a bus accident alone. Contact Hill Law Firm for a free case consultation with our Round Rock bus accident attorney to find out how we can help. Call (210) 762-4396 today.