Tampa Bus Accident Lawyer

Tampa public transportation services provide buses for hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors each year. While buses are one of the safer forms of transportation, every vehicle on the road is at risk of a devastating wreck. Similar to 18-wheeler accidents, bus accidents can result in serious injuries due to the weight and power of the vehicles involved.

If you were harmed in a Tampa bus accident, you may be eligible for compensation to cover the cost of your injuries, including medical expenses, lost wages, disability, loss of quality of life, and more. Consult with a bus accident lawyer in Tampa from Kogan & DiSalvo to learn more about your rights and options for financial recovery.

Causes of Bus Accidents in Tampa

Tampa, Florida, is a large city with a significant tourist presence. This means that you can find dozens of types of buses in and around the city, including:

• HART buses
• TECO streetcars
• Airport and hotel shuttle buses
• PSTA and other local transit buses
• School buses
• Greyhound buses
• Charter buses

Common causes of bus accidents include driver fatigue, poor driver training, other negligent motorists on the road, and more.

If you are involved in a bus accident in the city, Kogan & DiSalvo can investigate your case to determine whether negligence was involved. If so, you have the right to pursue justice through the civil courts by filing a personal injury lawsuit.

Liability in Tampa Bus Accidents

Liability is typically a result of negligence. For example, if a driver fails to look both ways before entering an intersection, they are negligent. That driver would be liable for any injuries suffered by another driver they collided with, as long as the other driver was driving safely and taking appropriate precautions.

Regardless of whether you are a passenger on a bus, a pedestrian, or a driver of another vehicle, if the bus driver’s negligence resulted in your injuries, the bus driver or the company they work for may be held liable for that harm.

Some common examples of bus accident negligence are:

• A bus driver pulling out without signaling
• A bus driver failing to check mirrors before switching lanes
• A school bus driver waiting until the last moment to turn on their warning lights
• A charter bus driver driving while fatigued
• An airport transport driver not noticing someone in a crosswalk

When an accident occurs between two passenger vehicles, one of the drivers is usually liable. However, the employer of a commercial bus driver may also be liable for a bus accident. This could be advantageous if you’ve been injured, because businesses usually have better insurance than individuals.

What to Do After Suffering a Serious Injury in a Bus Accident

One of the hardest parts about litigating a bus accident case is that many insurance companies fight relentlessly to pay as little compensation as possible. If you want to improve your chances of getting fair compensation, there are things you should and shouldn’t do after getting hurt in a bus accident in Tampa.

Get Medical Attention Immediately

Before you do anything else, call 911 and request a medical evaluation. Hopefully, you aren’t badly injured, and this is an unnecessary precaution. But that is something you can’t determine without assistance.

There are two major reasons to get medical attention. First, if you have a serious injury, quick medical attention could be the difference between a reasonably fast recovery and years of unnecessary pain. It could even save your life if the injury is bad enough.

Second, your compensation may depend on whether you sought medical attention. If you refuse medical attention right after the accident, the insurance company might use that choice to deny or devalue your claim. Your medical visits also create a record of your injury that our attorneys will use to support your claim.

Contact Kogan & DiSalvo Immediately

The best time to contact a Tampa personal injury attorney is as soon as possible.

We can send a team out to investigate the accident, contact appropriate insurance companies as your representative, and review your medical records to get a full picture of how much your claim is worth.

We will guide you through the process so that you understand what to expect. Our attorneys can also help you find the right medical professionals to treat your injuries.

Don’t Talk About the Accident to Anyone But Your Lawyers

As tempting as it can be to talk to other people at the accident scene, avoid that impulse. Every word you say can potentially be used against you by the insurance company or in court.

Don’t contact an insurance company without approval from your lawyer, either. Typically, our team will take the lead in communications with all insurance companies. When it is time to provide a statement, we will be present and advise you while you give it.

This caution also applies to conversations with the police. You aren’t required to give the police information without a lawyer. If you are asked for a statement, let the police know you will make yourself available when your lawyer is present.

Finally, this rule applies to social media, too. You will lose every benefit you gained from not talking about the accident if you post information about it on a publicly accessible social media page.

Document the Accident

If you get into an accident while driving a car, you must share your contact and insurance information with the other driver. That doesn’t change in a bus accident. However, you should also collect the bus driver’s employee number and information about their employer.

Furthermore, regardless of whether you were driving or not, document the accident scene and any injuries you suffered. It’s best to take pictures. But if you can’t, take notes and look for any cameras nearby that might have recorded the accident.

Getting Compensation

To get compensation for your injuries, your bus accident lawyer must prove that the liable party was responsible for the injuries you sustained.

If the other party is liable, we can ask for compensation to cover the following:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Reduced future earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Ongoing therapy

Our attorneys will give you a candid assessment of how much your case is worth during your free consultation. We will outline next steps and give you all the information you need to decide if you want to move forward with legal action.

Wrongful Death Compensation

You may be eligible to receive compensation if a loved one has died in a Hillsborough County bus accident. If a close relative would have been eligible to file a personal injury claim had they lived, you could seek compensation in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Reach Out to Kogan & DiSalvo for Help

If you suffered serious injuries in a Tampa bus accident, you may be in line for significant compensation. Contact our law firm today to learn more about your legal options and to schedule a free consultation with a bus accident attorney.