Louisiana Lawyers for Bus Accident Injury Victims

When you hop on public transportation in Baton Rouge, your expectation is to get where you’re going quickly and efficiently. Likewise, when you share the road with city buses as a motorist or as a pedestrian, you expect them to operate safely and respectfully alongside you. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Bus crashes happen all too often, and can lead to serious injuries for everyone involved. 

If you or a loved one has been the victim of a Baton Rouge bus accident, you probably have a lot of questions: What recourse is there? What should I do next?

The first thing you should do is call the Joubert Law Firm in Baton Rouge. You need an experienced and competent Louisiana personal injury attorney on the case immediately to advise you of your rights and help you seek damages. 

For more than twenty years, the Joubert Law Firm has been handling motor vehicle crashes and other personal injury cases for the citizens of Baton Rouge, LA with care and compassion. If you have been an injury victim in a bus crash, give our law office a call at (225) 777-8853 or complete our online intake form for a free consultation.

Bus Accident Injuries

Bus crashes can be devastating to injured victims. There are a variety of injuries accident victims may suffer as a result of a bus crash. Here are some of the more common injuries we see:

Brain Injuries

Brain injuries are always a concern in a car crash, but this is especially true in a large truck accident or bus crash. Though brain injuries range from relatively minor, such as concussions, to much more severe injuries, they can all have permanent and life-altering effects. The most common types of brain injuries involved in bus crashes are:

• Concussions
• Contusions
• Intracranial hematomas,
• Parietal or temporal lobe injuries.

Whether your brain injury is severe or relatively mild, it’s important to seek compensation for medical bills and any lost wages with the help of an experienced Baton Rouge brain injury attorney like those at Joubert Law Firm.

Chest Injuries 

During any car accident, your body is going to be propelled forward at high speeds, and probably make impact with a seatbelt, airbag, or steering column. Common chest injuries during bus accidents include: 

• Strained muscles
• Broken or bruised ribs
• Sternal fracture
• Ruptured spleen
• Internal bleeding
• Myocardial contusion (bruising of the heart)
• Punctured or collapsed lung

Soreness is typical after a vehicle crash of any kind. If you’re feeling any sort of pain in your chest after a bus crash, seek treatment immediately.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are some of the more catastrophic injuries you may suffer in a bus crash. They can lead to intensive surgeries and extensive periods of recovery.

The most common spinal cord injuries include:

• Whiplash
• Fractured vertebrae
• Disc injuries
• Paralysis

Other Injuries

Injuries like contusions, broken bones, sprains, or lacerations that are common in other truck accidents, car accidents, or a motorcycle accident are also common in accidents involving buses. Injury lawyers deal with injuries like these all the time, and can give you a free case evaluation about the strength of your claim.

Who is Responsible for Baton Rouge Bus Accidents?

It’s not always clear who is responsible for a bus crash. For this reason, it’s important to call an accident lawyer as soon as you can. An attorney can gather all the pieces of evidence you need to determine if there was negligence involved, and if there was, on whose part. 

To know who is liable for any Baton Rouge bus accident, you have to know how the accident occurred. Common causes of a bus crash are:

Distracted or Impaired Drivers

All motorists on the road have a responsibility to each other to drive safely and with care. Drunk drivers or a negligent driver engaging in distracted driving behaviors will likely be responsible for any accidents they cause in a personal injury lawsuit. 

Bus Driver Error

Buses are typically considered commercial vehicles. There are a few different types of public buses that operate in the Baton Rouge area, including:

• Capital Area Transit (CATS)
• Greyhound
• Megabus

Bus drivers don’t own the buses they drive, but are typically employees of these companies, or employees of the city. If a bus driver caused the accident, both they and their employer are liable. This is called vicarious liability. Vicarious liability allows someone to pursue action against both the driver and their employer.  

Poorly Maintained Buses

City buses are expensive to maintain and often go through a lot of wear and tear. They experience a wide variety of mechanical issues on any given day. If your bus malfunctions while moving and causes a crash, the owner of the bus, as well as whoever they employ to maintain it, may be liable.

There are a variety of potential causes for a Baton Rouge bus accident. How the accident happened will directly influence who is at fault. Additionally, Louisiana is one of the only states with a statute of limitations for personal injury cases of one year, making it essential to gather information and file claims immediately.

Road Condition and Construction Problems

When there are problems with the road,  extensive construction on bus routes, or even bad weather, it can lead to bus crashes. This would make the accident the fault of whoever is responsible for maintaining the road, whether that be that state of Louisiana or the city of Baton Rouge. An accident lawyer has to be ready to take on the government to provide legal assistance to injured clients.

What Damages are Recoverable in a Bus Accident?

The damages you can recover in a Baton Rouge accident claim depend on the injuries you sustained, and the liable party. Generally, examples of recoverable damages include:

• Medical expenses to treat acute injuries
• Future treatment, care, and support costs for injuries with longer-term consequences
• Lost income or reduced ability to earn
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage   

In more serious motor vehicle accidents, the consequences can unfortunately be fatal. In these cases, surviving immediate family members can collect wrongful death damages under La. Civ. Code Art. 2315.2. Wrongful death damages cover things like

• Funeral or burial costs
• Loss of services
• Loss of support or income
• Intangible losses, like pain and suffering

Qualifying family members would include:

• Spouses
• Children and the spouse
• Parents, if there are no spouse or children
• Siblings, if no surviving spouse, parents, or children

The only way to know for sure what damages you can recover after a bus crash is to consult with injury lawyers who can handle your case with care.   

How an Attorney Can Help With Your Bus Accident Injury Claim

If you’ve been the victim in a bus crash, you might feel like the losses you’ve experienced aren’t catastrophic enough to warrant a lawsuit, or that it would be too difficult to recover damages from a large company or from the city of Baton Rouge. 

However, if:

• You or your child were on a bus when a collision occurred,
• A bus collided with your vehicle, or
• A bus hit you while you were on foot or biking,

You will likely be eligible for financial compensation, and you need an accident lawyer to fight for you–to gather information, to discover who’s liable, and to prove negligence.  

Proving Negligence in a Bus Accident Case

Proving negligence in a legal case isn’t always cut and dry. To prove negligence, you have to establish several things:

• That the defendant, or liable party, had a duty to you, the plaintiff
• The defendant breached that duty
• That this breach was the cause of the accident that injured the plaintiff
• That the plaintiff suffered actual losses

Defendants can’t get away from that first point–the driver of a bus has a responsibility to his passengers and to the other motorists on the road, and there’s no denying it. The rest of these aspects, however, will be up for debate.

Defendants in court will do everything they can to prove that there was no negligence–that there was nothing they could have done to prevent the accident. Failing that, they will try to establish that the plaintiff’s losses weren’t a result of the accident. In a situation like that, you need personal injury lawyers to fight for you and your rights, and ensure that you get the fair compensation you deserve.

Bus Accident Attorneys in South Louisiana | Free Case Review

Whether you’re grieving a loss after a fatal bus crash or dealing with hospitals and the cost of medical care for yourself or a loved one, recovering damages for your losses will probably be the last thing you think about. Not to mention, the time you have to file a claim is woefully short in Louisiana. In cases like these, allow our dedicated Baton Rouge motor vehicle accident attorneys at the Joubert Law Firm to handle the legal aspects of your case for you and fight for your fair settlement in court.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of an accident involving a bus, give us a call at (225) 777-8853 or fill out our online intake form for a free consultation about your case today.

As a thank you to all military members and veterans and to show our appreciation for your sacrifice and service, we would like to offer a discount for your legal cases.