The Florida Bus Accident Guide was created by Victory Law Firm to help injured residents obtain maximum compensation. Call our lawyers for a consultation.
We are terribly sorry if you have been seriously injured in a bus accident. It’s a terrible thing to go through an accident that you did not cause and come out with an injury that could have been prevented had someone acted differently. Our Florida bus accident lawyers are here to help you through this troubling time. You deserve to have someone who is going to fight against the liable party tirelessly to make sure that in the end you get results that are both fair and full. You need someone who will provide you with representation that is relentless. Call us right away so you can set up your free, first consultation with us today.
You Deserve Full Justice
Following an accident, it is common to feel like you are alone and helpless but you should be aware that our Florida bus accident lawyers are going to fight for you to receive the justice that you deserve. We know that it can feel like you are at the mercy of other people after you’ve been hurt and it’s not fair that you’ve had to go through this. Justice is needed and we are committed to bringing you justice. There are several things that you should know about your justice.
First you should know that the justice you seek is going to be by means of financial compensation from the liable party’s insurance company. They are financially responsible to cover your damages and injuries related to the accident.
We Need to know what your maximum medical recovery is going to be in order to know what your compensation award will look like. Your maximum medical recovery could be a return to full health after several months or I could be getting as good as you can possibly get but never being able to return to full health because you have permanent damage. This is important information and if a lawyer tells you that they can guarantee a certain amount of money for your award without knowing what your maximum medical recovery would be you should probably turn away from that lawyer and find someone who’s going to look at the facts before they give you any promises.
Cases are valued based on your economic and non-economic damages.
Noneconomic damages can be categorized as financial loss related to your bus accident. This could be medical expenses such as the ambulance ride and ER visits as well as any follow up care needed related to this bus accident. It may also be lost wages for missed time at work
Your non-economic damages are going to be the way that your life has been negatively affected by this bus accident such as depression and anxiety related to the trauma of the bus accident. It also includes your past and future pain and suffering. Non-economic damages are more difficult to calculate because they don’t deal with numbers but they deal in life quality. They are none the less important.
Act with Urgency
Florida State law allows you for years from the date of your accident in which you can file your civil case against the liable party for your bus accident. This is called your statute of limitations and if you let these four years slip by without filing a claim then you can lose out on justice because he will be barred from filing a case. We know that life can be hectic and busy and something like this could slip off of your radar but we strongly encourage you to keep it in the forefront of your mind because it would be seriously tragic for you to lose out on justice because you forgot you should file a claim.
Our Florida bus accident lawyers want to hear from you right away also because there is going to be a lot of evidence that is available to us immediately after the accident and the longer you wait to reach out to us the harder it is for us to get a hold of that evidence.
Your witnesses could forget what they saw overtime, CCTV footage From nearby businesses could be recorded over or deleted if they didn’t know that we needed it and all the evidence at the scene of the bus accident would likely be completely missing if you waited a prolonged period of time to reach out to us. It makes it harder for us to create a strong foundation for your case when so much time has lapsed.
The sooner you reach out to our office to set up a free consultation the better off you will likely be.
We also want you to act with the same urgency to take care of yourself. We know sometimes with minor to moderate injuries we can tend to brush it off and try to ignore the pain and continue with our daily tasks. This is a huge mistake for several reasons. You could make your minor to moderate injury severe and you can also make it a permanent injury if you don’t take care of it right away. you want to get that treatment as soon as you can possibly get it so you prevent further damage down the line. You also don’t want to raise the suspicions of the insurance company who is already looking for reasons to throw out your case. If there was a significant gap in time between your accident and your medical attention, they could say that you lied about where you were hurt or even how severely you were hurt. Both of these things could be detrimental to the success of your case.
Things That Can Ruin Your Results
When you file a claim it’s important to know that we are going to be seeking a financial reward from the insurance company who represents the liable party. You also need to understand these insurance companies are out to protect their bottom line and continue to make profits so paying you what you deserve is not in their best interest. Our Florida bus accident lawyers will push them to provide you with full compensation but the insurance company is well aware of Florida’s pure comparative negligence laws.
When we file this claim the insurance company is immediately going to be on the defense trying to prove that you had something to do with causing the accident because they know if they can blame you for some portion of this accident they can reduce what they owe you. If they were able to blame entirely on you, they could throw away your case. If they were successful in blaming you for a portion of the accident, however, even if it was just 20% of the accident, then they can keep that 20% of compensation from you leaving you with 80% of your total award. It is our job to protect you from this happening and a big way for us to ensure you are protected from them is to know that you did not give them a recorded statement. They are going to reach out to you very shortly after your accident to try to get a recorded statement from you.
Even if they ask you something that seems completely innocuous such as “how are you”, you may answer in a way that could be twisted. If you said that you were doing OK, then they could say that when they asked how you were after the accident you were fine. They can twist that to mean that they don’t need to give you the compensation you’re asking for because you were fine.
We hope to avoid tragic things like losing out on compensation because he didn’t know better. You need to let your Florida bus accident lawyers talk to the insurance company on your behalf so that your rights are protected. These bus companies can be quite large and have very talented layers on their sides protecting them. We are up for that challenge because we know that you deserve to have your rights fully protected from these greedy people who just want to make a profit.
We don’t put up with insurance companies trying to short you from what you deserve to have. You are important to us and we fight for you like we fight for our own families. You could always rest assured that we are ready for any obstacles in our way even if it means we have to go all the way to trial because we cannot negotiate a fair outcome with the insurance company.
Frequently Asked Bus Accident Questions
A bus hit my car and caused injury, what should I do?
Here in Central Florida, there are many buses on the roads – private buses and public city transportation – and if your car is ever struck by a bus, obviously the first thing you need to do is dial 9-1-1. Now you need to begin the process of gathering evidence.
Oftentimes buses change lanes, sometimes into your lane, striking you; sometimes they force another vehicle into you. It’s critically important that you are able to gather as much information as possible, not only for the responding authorities that arrive but for the benefit of your case. You’re going to want to know the bus number. You’re going to want to try and find out who the bus driver was, that bus driver’s number, and if there were any witnesses.
Oftentimes after an accident, we find that clients simply grab a driver exchange information from the police officer and leave the scene. It’s up to you to try and gather as much as possible, and it will greatly benefit your case on down the line. If you have any questions about this, please contact the Victory Law Firm.
After a bus crash in Florida, is it a good idea to talk to the insurance companies?
Here in Central Florida, if you’re involved in a bus accident, it is critically important that you do not speak with any insurance company that reaches out to you on behalf of that bus company. Likewise, if an attorney representing the bus company reaches out to you, you have no obligation to speak to them. It is very important that you reach out to an attorney to make sure that they are representing you during any possible negotiations.
From the very beginning, insurance companies and attorneys will try to trap a plaintiff into saying something that might damage their case or lessen the value of your case. You may inadvertently say something that could jeopardize any potential future recovery you may get. If an insurance company reaches out to you regarding your bus accident and you’re not represented by an attorney, do not speak with them. Likewise, if an attorney reaches out to you and you’re not represented by an attorney, do not speak with them; do not feel obligated to.
It is critically important you reach out to us at the Victory Law Firm if you have been involved in a bus accident so we can help you navigate these waters right from the beginning.
Do you recommend taking the insurance companies initial offer in a bus accident?
Here in Central Florida, we get asked by friends and family alike if they should just go ahead and accept an offer, particularly an initial offer, made by an insurance company. In bus accident cases, the value of these cases tends to be a lot higher than your average automobile accident case – at least in Florida – and you should absolutely never accept the first offer made to you by an insurance company. They will attempt to settle your case for a dime on the dollar and brush your case to the side as quickly as possible without having to incur the cost of fighting the case or even litigating the case.
It is critically important that even if you do get an offer, you contact an attorney to represent your interests. That initial offer is always going to be far below what your case is truly worth, and that is something that you can count on. Please reach out to us at the Victory Law Firm if you’ve been involved in any type of bus accident here in Central Florida. We will be happy to represent you.
How do I determine the value of my bus accident claim in Florida?
Here in Orlando, Florida, bus accident cases can be devastating. The actual value of the case will begin with what your medical bills are, and certainly those are determined by the extent of your injuries. Once your medical bills have been determined, at that point, the attorneys here at the Victory Law Firm will attempt to increase the value of your offer based on differing factors, including pain and suffering. How has this affected your life? How has it affected your family’s life? Did you miss time from work? Have you lost the ability to work in the future? Are you no longer able to do what you were able to do before?
There are so many factors that can determine what the value of your bus accident claim may be, not to mention property damage if you were in a vehicle as opposed to a pedestrian or a passenger. There are many avenues to pursue in a bus accident claim to raise the value of your claim. The value of your claim is really going to be dependent on your case, and it’s going to be important for you to reach out to us right away so we can determine what that might be and begin the process of getting you the recovery that you deserve. Please reach out to the Victory Law Firm for any questions regarding this.
How do I select the best bus accident attorney in Florida?
We recently spoke with a client who was injured in a bus accident. These types of cases can be devastating, to say the least. It’s important to choose an attorney who is experienced in these types of cases. That’s the number one factor when choosing an attorney for your bus accident case.
Now, there’s buses that are privately owned, and there’s buses that are owned by the municipality, city or county. These types of cases can be completely different. Sometimes people are injured because they’re passengers on a bus that’s involved in an accident; sometimes you’re a vehicle driver who was hit by a bus. Sometimes a bus invades your lane and causes you to impact another vehicle or vice versa – another vehicle is forced into you because of a bus. In a recent case, we had a cyclist who was hit by a bus while waiting at the bus stop.
These types of cases tend to come with very significant injuries, and it’s very important that you hire an attorney who can extract the most from these types of cases. There’s a lot of things you need to do right away. There are things that an experienced attorney will know to do right away in your bus case, and there’s several different insurance policies that might be in play that most attorneys may not even consider. If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of a bus driver or in any case involving any type of bus, be it private or public, please contact our office as soon as possible.
How long is it going to take to resolve my bus accident injury claim in Florida?
Here in Central Florida, bus accident claims can vary in length of time to settlement. One of the things to consider is your injuries. You never want to rush through your treatment. The first thing to do is to make sure that your treatment is full and complete and that you have recovered to the best of your treating physician’s ability.
Once that is completed, the attorneys at the Victory Law Firm are very experienced in bus cases. We push these cases very quickly and very aggressively. There is the possibility of having to file a lawsuit in these types of cases, in which case they can drag on, but most cases settle before having to go to trial, oftentimes at mediation. The length of time to settle your bus injury claim can vary, again, mostly dependent on the severity of your injuries.
Every case is different, and it’s important that a knowledgeable attorney represents you to greatly reduce the time that your case takes to settle. At the Victory Law Firm, we have extensive experience in bus injury cases. We push them very aggressively. Please do talk to us about the specifics of your case. It’s very important that we get on board very quickly so we can push your case forward as quickly as possible. Reach out to us at the Victory Law Firm as soon as possible.
I was injured as a passenger on a bus, what should I do?
If you’re involved in a bus accident here in Central Florida, some of the first things you should do, if you are able to, is photograph the scene. Talk to the bus driver, if possible. Find out their name, their number, the bus number. Make sure you are very clear as to where the incident happened and, if possible, any witnesses to the accident.
A lot of times when a client is involved in a bus accident, they either go on their merry way to the hospital, or a family or friend will take them, and they fail to record and gather as much evidence as possible. The first thing you need to do is be aware of the who, what, where, and when of your bus accident. It’s often that responding police, trooper or sheriff, won’t come until quite some time afterwards and the only person that can record this type of information and benefit your case is you.
Again, if you are involved in a bus accident, try to gather as much information as you possibly can, and it will benefit your case greatly on down the line. Please reach out to the Victory Law Firm to discuss your bus accident claim.
If my child was injured on a school bus, can I sue the school?
Here in Central Florida, hundreds of thousands of children go to school and home on school buses and, unfortunately, sometimes children are hurt in school bus accidents. It is very likely that you and your family have a claim for injuries sustained by your child in a school bus accident here in Central Florida.
Accidents involving buses often involve the driver who was negligent in one way or another. Either they weren’t paying attention; they were distracted or perhaps tired. Oftentimes there’s many things going on in a school bus that can divert the driver’s attention.
It’s critically important that you contact an attorney right away to get that investigative process done quickly as possible. There are facts on the ground that could be lost if an attorney is not involved who doesn’t know what questions are needed to be asked. If your child is hurt in a school bus accident, please, it is critically important that you contact an attorney who might be able to help you out on this case and extract the maximum value possible, right from the beginning. Please reach out to the Victory Law Firm.
What are common mistakes people make if they have been injured in a bus accident?
Here in Orlando, Florida, some of the most common mistakes that people make when involved in a bus accident are that they fail to get the name of the driver or the number of the bus, collect any photos or videos or the names of any witnesses. There are certain things that you can do when involved in a bus accident that will certainly help you case further down the line.
Insurance companies are always trying to mitigate their insured’s negligence and maybe put fault on you, if you were the driver of a vehicle who was struck by a bus. Some of the things that make your case go a lot more smoothly is to gather as much information at the scene as possible. Sometimes that’s not always possible; sometimes you’re too injured to pull out your phone and take photos and video. Certainly, the biggest mistake you can make is to simply walk away and not get any type of information, not collect any evidence, not take any photographs – it just makes it that much harder down the line. Please reach out to the Victory Law Firm so we can discuss your bus accident claim.
Call Our Florida Bus Accident Lawyers Today
After having suffered a serious injury in a bus accident, we hope that you reach out to our Florida bus accident lawyers as soon as you are able to. We would like to offer you the same successful results that we have provided for many people before you. Call us today to set up your free, first consultation to get started on getting justice you deserve.