Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Bus Accident Compensation Claims
If you have suffered a personal injury as the result of a bus accident, or any other road accident where someone else was to blame, you may be entitled to claim compensation. Our personal injury lawyers are experts in bus accident compensation claims and can provide you with specialist advice and assistance on a cost free basis.
Contact The Legal Line today for confidential accident claim advice on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online.
Bus Accidents
Types of Bus Accident
What To Do If You Are Involved in a Bus Accident
Bus Passenger Safety
Bus Accidents Involving Pedestrians
Bus Drivers
Other Road Users Involved in Bus Accidents
Making a Bus Accident Claim
Bus Accident Compensation
Our Specialist Personal Injury Lawyers
Previous Bus Accident Cases
Bus Accidents
Travelling by bus is usually a very safe mode of transport. Unfortunately however, as with any other type of road use, accidents can happen. If you have been injured as a driver, passenger or pedestrian in a bus accident, you may be in a position to make a personal injury claim if the accident occurred due to the negligence of someone else.
Injuries sustained in bus accidents range from more minor injuries, such as bruising and muscle strains, to very serious injuries or even fatalities.
Types of Bus Accident
There are various types of accident that can occur involving buses, including:
• Passenger Injuries – Bus passengers are often injured if the bus they are travelling in is involved in a collision. Injuries can also occur due to the negligent actions of a driver where there is no other vehicle involved.
• Collisions With Other Vehicles – Collisions between buses and cars, motorcycles, or even other buses may happen. This may be the fault of the bus driver or another driver and these accidents often result in injuries to the parties involved.
• Collisions With Cyclists
• Collisions With Pedestrians
• Erratic Driving
What To Do If You Are Involved in a Bus Accident
If you sustain an injury in a bus accident, you should obtain medical attention and advice from a specialist personal injury lawyer at the earliest opportunity. It is also important to record as much detail as possible, as this could be of assistance in any compensation claim you decide to pursue. For example this may include:
• Details of the bus such as the number of the bus, the time of the accident, a note of the bus route and the precise location of where the accident occurred and details of any other vehicles involved
• The badge number of the bus driver
• The name, station and badge number of all investigating police officers.
• Retaining your ticket (if you are a passenger)
• Witness information (i.e. the names and addresses of other passengers, drivers, passers by)
• Photographs of the scene and/or your injuries
If you are injured on the bus when there is no collision, you must report the occurrence to the bus driver as soon as possible and ensure that a written record is made . You may wish to report the incident to the bus company as well, so that they have a record that you were involved in the accident and suffered injuries. If you need to attend a hospital or your GP, you must properly describe the accident circumstances so that a clear record is kept at that source.
It is not uncommon for bus companies and drivers to indicate that they have no knowledge of the occurrence of any accident or incident where full reporting has not taken place and proof may then be required of the happening of the event.
Bus Passenger Safety
Bus drivers have a duty to drive carefully, to avoid any unnecessary risk of injury to their passengers. This would include driving at a reasonable speed, avoiding excessively sharp braking, turning or accelerating and exercising care when pulling off from a stop, particularly if passengers are still finding their seats. Bus drivers need to be careful to ensure that people with mobility problems or indeed people carrying infants are not placed at undue risk before they have reached a position of relative safety on the bus. Bus drivers are not legally obliged to wait until all passengers are seated. Some busses actually allow for standing passengers to be transported. It is also important that buses and their fixtures and fittings are provided in a safe condition, as injuries can sometimes occur due to sharp, protruding edges or broken seats.
There are also measures that bus passengers can take to protect their own safety. These include taking a seat as quickly as possible after boarding, using any handrails provided, avoiding standing when the bus is in motion as much as possible and safely stowing any items brought on board.
Bus Accidents Involving Pedestrians
When a pedestrian is involved in an accident with a bus, there is the potential for very serious injuries to be caused. Bus drivers therefore need to be vigilant in looking out for pedestrians who may step out into the road, be present on crossings or be situated behind or at the side of their bus.
Pedestrians are naturally more vulnerable than those driving, as they are not protected by a vehicle and may be distracted. They may be children or under the influence of alcohol and, as such, they will not have the same level of awareness as an adult paying full attention to their surroundings. Drivers are expected to note this and act accordingly.
If you were a pedestrian injured in a bus accident, we may be able to assist you in making your claim.
Bus Drivers
If you were involved in an accident as a bus driver, and the incident occurred due to the negligence of another road user (e.g. the driver of another vehicle), you would be entitled to claim personal injury compensation in the normal way. You should take the details of the other driver and their vehicle if possible, report the incident to your employer and seek medical and legal advice as soon you can.
Injuries can also occur due to the negligence of an employer, for example if you are injured by a defective piece of equipment on the bus or you have not been trained to carry out aspects of your job in a safe way. Under these circumstances an accident at work claim against your employer may be possible.
Other Road Users Involved in Bus Accidents
As a driver, motorcyclist or cyclist, you may be involved in a collision with a bus. As buses are large vehicles, these collisions can be very forceful, so if you believe you may have been injured you should seek medical advice as soon as possible. The next step is to consult a personal injury solicitor for legal advice.
If you can, you should note down the details of the bus and any witnesses that are available, as this information will be helpful in pursuing a bus accident claim should you decide to do so.
Making a Bus Accident Claim
If you believe that you may be entitled to claim compensation in respect of injuries you sustained in a bus, coach or minibus accident, you should first seek specialist advice from an experienced personal injury solicitor. They can advise you on the best way to pursue your claim, collect all the relevant evidence and calculate the losses you have suffered.
More often than not, when a claim is put forward, the insurers for the other party will negotiate a reasonable settlement figure with your solicitor to bring the claim to a conclusion.
Sometimes however the insurers will try to deny that their client was at fault, refuse to negotiate or delay the matter. In these instances your lawyer should pursue the case through court proceedings, so long as they feel that the case has a good chance of success.
Contact us on 0800 0328511, or complete a claim enquiry form online, for personal advice on whether your particular circumstances could allow you or your family to claim compensation.
Bus Accident Compensation
There are two elements to a compensation award. The first is for the pain and suffering you may have gone through and what is known as loss of amenity. This is called general damages and compensates you for your injuries and the ways in which your life has been affected by your injuries. It will take into account your inability to do things after the accident that you used to be able to do before (e.g. drive, look after your garden, walk the dog etc). The award will take into account the period of suffering which may be for a few weeks or may be a permanent injury.
The second element of a compensation award is for your losses and expenses and is known as special damages. This reimburses you for any financial losses, such as any loss of earnings or injury related costs (e.g. travel or medical expenses). It is important to keep receipts for any expenditure you have related to the accident, so that these can be reclaimed. The aim is to put you back in a position financially as if the accident had never occurred. You are also able to claim for financial losses that you will incur in the future provided that the medical evidence supports this.
Our Specialist Personal Injury Lawyers
The Legal Line’s lawyers are experts in all areas of personal injury, with extensive experience in recovering compensation for the victims of road traffic accidents. They can provide specialist accident claim advice, assistance and guidance in helping you to pursue your claim to the best possible outcome.
Previous Bus Accident Cases
Below you can read details of previous cases handled successfully by our expert lawyers on behalf of injured people. Further articles can also be found in our news and success stories sections:
Compensation Claim for Bus Passenger
Low Speed Road Accident Causes Personal Injury
Bus Passenger Suffers Personal Injury Due to Driver Error
Our Lawyers Obtain Compensation for Injured Bus Passenger
Passenger Injured in Bus Accident Receives Compensation from MIB
Increased Compensation Obtained for Road Accident Victim
Whiplash Injury Claim for Bus Passenger
- Our client was a passenger on a bus at the time of her accident. The driver attempted to overtake another bus, but was met with oncoming traffic and had to perform an emergency stop. As a result, our client was thrown from her seat, landing face down on the floor, and the force caused her to be pushed along until she collided with the front of the bus.
She suffered facial injuries including a fractured nose, lost and broken teeth, cuts to her face and lips and injuries to her neck, back and arm. Understandably she was also left very shaken by what happened. Our client had to have stitches and extensive dental treatment and she was left with some scarring and a slight deformity of her nose.
As experts in all types of road accident claims, including bus accidents, our lawyers were instructed to assist her in making a claim. Our client felt that the bus driver was negligent, as he did not take sufficient care to ensure that his path was clear before overtaking. We were able to secure a settlement of £24,000 compensation on her behalf.
- Our client, an elderly gentleman, was a passenger on a bus at the time of his injury. The driver of a car negligently pulled out into the path of the bus and, because the bus was also being driven at too high a speed and its driver was not paying sufficient attention to the road ahead, the two vehicles collided.
As a result, our client suffered soft tissue damage to his back and shoulder, a head injury and head wound. He was admitted to hospital for 2 weeks and then required physiotherapy treatment and care and assistance at home for some time afterwards.
Our lawyers, who are experts in bus accident and bus passenger cases, pursued a successful personal injury compensation claim on his behalf and recovered over £10,000 in damages.
- Our client, a bus driver, was driving along a road as normal when another driver attempted to make a U-turn out of a lay-by. She had not checked that the road was clear before beginning the manoeuvre and drove straight into the side of his bus. As a result of this bus accident, he suffered a fractured wrist and whiplash injuries to his neck.
He was unable to attend work for over 2 months and was left with long-term effects from his injuries. The claimant therefore appointed our expert personal injury lawyers, who specialise in road accidents involving buses, to assist him in recovering compensation. They were able to negotiate a settlement of £13,500 in damages in respect of his personal injury and financial losses.
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