Buses are much larger and heavier than other vehicles on the road. This means that when they are involved in accidents, the occupants of smaller cars and trucks can be seriously injured. Thousands of people ride buses every day in Connecticut, and the recent introduction Connecticut’s first Bus Rapid Transit System, CTfastrak, has made riding buses easier and faster than ever. Unfortunately, buses get into accidents like other vehicles on the road, sometimes with devastating consequences.
Additionally, buses are capable of hauling dozens of people from place to place, so when they crash, the number of people injured often far exceeds the number that would be injured in an accident not involving a bus.
If you have been in a bus accident, you may be wondering who can be held liable for your injuries and other losses. Just like with any other accident, the party whose negligence caused your accident can often be liable for your accident-related losses under Connecticut law. What makes a bus accident different that a crash involving only privately-owned passenger cars is that are many more potential parties involved. Some of the parties that could be held liable for your bus accident include:
Determining liability in a bus accident can be a complicated issue, so it’s important for victims to retain a lawyer familiar with representing victims of mass transit accidents. In addition, if you have a claim against a state agency (such as the Connecticut Department of Transportation), you have a very limited amount of time to file your claim. For this reason, anyone involved in a bus accident in Connecticut should speak to a lawyer as soon as possible.
There are certain steps you should take after a bus accident to maximize your chances of recovering compensation. These include the following:
