Commercial buses include local or national commercial bus companies that transport passengers throughout the state and across the country. These commercial buses are categorized as common carriers and are subject to specific state and federal statutes and regulations that hold bus drivers and companies to a high standard of care. Even with these protective guidelines, commercial bus accidents are unfortunately common, particularly among discount bus companies.
Because of the rising cost of fuel, more people are choosing to use public transportation. Every year, passengers, pedestrians and other drivers are seriously injured or killed in accidents involving city buses and public transit companies. When a person is injured through the negligence of a city bus driver, claims can be filed against the city, the governmental entity and/or the driver. This issue is complicated because various laws and regulations dictate who can be sued and also place a cap on the amount of damages an injured person can collect from governmental entities. Strict notice requirements and time lines must also be followed in order to preserve the rights of the injured person.
School bus drivers have the important task of transporting our children safely to and from school. Because most school buses dont have safety belts, injuries often occur when drivers brake suddenly or take a sharp turn and children fall out of their seats. A school bus accident caused by negligence on the part of the school bus driver can seriously injure its young passengers, other innocent drivers and even pedestrians. In Virginia, a school bus driver cannot be sued individually for ordinary negligence under the doctrine of sovereign immunity. Most often, the school board is the proper entity to file suit against in the case of school bus driver negligence, although it depends on the circumstances. Additionally if you do not file your notice in a school bus accident case in a timely manner, you could lose the right to pursue your claim due to the statute of limitations in school bus accident cases.
Virginia has a complicated legal system concerning bus accident liability. Different laws and regulations apply depending on which type of bus and the circumstances of the crash. This is why it is so important to contact an experienced bus accident attorney if you have been injured in a bus accident through no fault of your own. Acting quickly may be important to protecting your rights in a bus accident case. An experienced bus accident lawyer can advise you of your rights and help protect you when it comes to laws applicable to common carriers, critical filing deadlines and notice requirements, statutes of limitations, as well as sovereign immunity defenses.
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