The injuries you sustained in your bus accident have left you with mounds of medical bills and lost wages—a combination that puts you in a tough financial bind. You should not have to worry about these matters on top of coping with the pain of your injury.
If another party caused the accident, they should bear the weight of these consequences—but maybe you do not feel like taking on the added stress of holding the at-fault party liable for your damages. Fortunately, a Sayville bus accident lawyer can take on your case, seek the compensation you deserve, and let you focus on your recovery.
Call Gacovino & Lake today at (631) 600-0000 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Typical Causes of Bus Accidents
Like drivers of any type of motor vehicle, bus drivers can cause serious accidents by driving while distracted. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) commissioned a study on bus and commercial motor vehicle safety and found that drivers of these vehicles are 23.2 percent more likely to experience a crash or other safety-critical event when texting.
For this reason, in 2010, the FMCSA issued a ban on texting while driving buses and other commercial motor vehicles.
Bus accidents can result from other behaviors and conditions, too, including:
- Driving while intoxicated (DWI) or under the influence (DUI)
- Poor lighting or road conditions
- Inexperienced or uncertified driver
- Inclement weather
- Faulty or defective bus parts
- Poorly maintained bus
- Bus driver error
The legal team at Gacovino & Lake handles all types of bus accidents, no matter what the cause.
Parties Who May Be Held Liable
With so many potential causes for a bus accident, it stands to reason that the party at fault for a collision would come from a large pool of candidates.
The party who needs to be held responsible for your accident injuries depends on whether your bus accident resulted from bus driver error, their lack of training, a defective part, poor bus maintenance, or dangerous roads.
Some of the types of parties who might be at fault for your accident include:
- Bus part manufacturers
- Bus maintenance service provider
- Municipality or government body
- Bus driver
- Bus management company
- Owner of the bus or bus service
- Other motor vehicle drivers
When you hire our law firm, we will investigate your accident, determine the at-fault party, and demand that they pay for your damages.
How a Sayville Bus Accident Lawyer Will Investigate Your Case
The legal team at Gacovino & Lake will conduct a thorough investigation of your bus accident in an effort to identify who or what entity should be held liable for your medical bills and other damages resulting from your injury.
Toward this end, our investigators will:
- Visit the site of the accident to gather evidence
- Interview witnesses and record their testimonies
- Seek video from nearby surveillance cameras
- Gather and document photos of the accident and your injuries
- Collect all medical records related to your injuries
- Review copies of bus maintenance/service records
- Seek information about the driver (training, certification, etc.)
- Check bus driver records
- Obtain the official police accident report
- Get copies of your wage statements from your employer
Some of the evidence we collect will identify the at-fault party. Other pieces will be used in our calculation of damages we will seek from the defendant. Along these lines, we will work with experts in the fields of medicine, economics, vocation therapy, and psychology to attach values to not only the damages you have already suffered but also those you will face in the future.
Call Gacovino & Lake today for a free consultation: (631) 600-0000.
Types of Damages You Might Recover
A bus accident, no matter how minor, can cause serious injuries that keep you from working and generate hefty medical expenses. Tort law establishes that if another party in your bus accident—from the bus driver to a parts manufacturer to a municipality in charge of road conditions—caused the accident that led to your injury, you can seek compensation from that party to cover your economic and non-economic damages.
Recoverable damages vary widely from one personal injury victim to another, so your lawyer will have to thoroughly research your accident before they can calculate your damages. However, some typical types of damages sought in personal injury cases include:
- Medical expenses (past and future)
- Prescription medicine
- Lost income and benefits
- Diminished future potential earnings
- Physical therapy/rehabilitation
- Diminished quality of life
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
If you lost a loved one in a bus accident, we are sorry for your loss. Please know that you can pursue a wrongful death action against the at-fault party. Our firm would be honored to help you in this regard.
How Your Lawyer Will Manage Your Case
Once your bus accident lawyer has calculated your damages, they will compose a demand letter and submit it to the defendant’s insurance company. The insurer will likely come back with a counteroffer, and the negotiations will commence. If the adjuster is ultimately unwilling to agree to a fair settlement, your lawyer at Gacovino & Lake is willing to file a lawsuit on your behalf and represent you in a civil court, where a judge or jury will determine the outcome.
Keep in mind that if you are suing a government body, there are extra steps and deadlines that you must follow, including a notice to file with the defendant. Furthermore, regardless of the defendant, New York state imposes a statute of limitations that restricts the amount of time you have to take legal action after your bus accident. Generally, you have three years under New York Civil Practice Law & Rules §214, but other factors can lengthen or shorten that deadline.
The sooner you begin the process of seeking compensation by hiring a lawyer, the sooner your lawyer can begin building your case and meeting all the required deadlines.
A Sayville Bus Accident Lawyer Will Benefit Your Case
A Sayville bus accident lawyer is ready to help you get the compensation you deserve for your bus accident. Remember, we are a contingency-fee firm, meaning you pay us no attorney fees unless or until we win you a settlement or award. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by calling us today for your free consultation.
Call Gacovino & Lake at (631) 600-0000.
