San Diego Bus Accident Lawyer

Were you or a loved one injured in a bus accident in San Diego, CA? Busses are large commercial vehicles that can cause serious damage and injury in a crash. An experienced San Diego bus accident lawyer at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight for the full compensation you deserve. Contact our law firm at (619) 777-5555 to schedule a free consultation to discuss your personal injury case today.

Since 2010, our team has demonstrated our commitment to accident victims across Southern California—we’ve achieved a 99% success rate for the cases we handle. You can rest assured that we’ll do everything possible to maximize your financial recovery.

How Mission Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Bus Accident in San Diego

How Mission Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Bus Accident in San Diego

Between medical bills and daily expenses, you may be having trouble making ends meet after your bus accident. The accident wasn’t your fault, so why should you have to suffer financially?

You have enough on your mind. You shouldn’t have to worry about a fight with the insurance company or a protracted lawsuit to get the money you deserve. A San Diego personal injury lawyer can help you recover financially while you focus on your physical health.

At Mission Personal Injury Lawyers, we have more than 43 years of experience helping clients get back on their feet after an accident. 

Our lawyers will:

  • Gather the evidence to support your injury claim
  • Identify all responsible parties and sources of insurance coverage
  • Handle all communications and negotiations with the insurance companies
  • Defend you if someone tries to blame you for the accident

Are you interested in learning more about our proven track record of success? Call today to speak with an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney.

How Common Are Bus Accidents in San Diego?

Large buses cruise down the streets of San Diego and neighboring communities on a regular basis. There are over 95 bus routes that operate in San Diego on a daily basis. That doesn’t include school buses and privately owned bus companies. 

Usually, public transportation is a safe and affordable way to get around town. However, bus accidents are common in Southern California.

Bus crashes in San Diego often involve:

  • School buses
  • San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) buses
  • Charter buses
  • Greyhound buses
  • Tufesa buses
  • Shuttle buses
  • Commercial buses

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) collects information about bus wrecks across the United States. In 2018 alone, 234 buses were involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents.

However, some buses seem to be more dangerous than others. Nationwide, about 40% of all fatal bus accidents involve transit buses, and 35% involve a school bus. Another 12% of bus accidents involve intercity buses.

What is My San Diego Bus Accident Case Worth?

There’s no magic formula that can be used to determine the value of your personal injury claim. When our lawyers assess the value of your claim, we consider the factors that are important to judges and juries.

Those factors may include:

  • The type of injury you sustained
  • Whether you will be left with a permanent disability
  • The cost of your medical treatment and value of your lost wages
  • Your future medical needs
  • The impact of the injury on your quality of life

Sometimes we’ll hire experts who can help us evaluate the impact of your injuries.

Before taking any settlement offer, you have to know what you deserve. Call our bus accident lawyers in San Diego today to discuss how we can help put a fair value on your injuries.

What Types of Damages Are Available to Bus Accident Victims?

While every bus accident case is different, victims are always entitled to seek compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages.

Our lawyers will aggressively pursue the full range of damages available in your case, including compensation for:

  • Past and future medical expenses, including ER visits, hospitalization, surgeries, and more
  • Lost wages
  • Reduced future earning potential
  • Rehabilitation 
  • Pain and suffering
  • Mental anguish
  • Disfigurement
  • Scarring
  • Anxiety and PTSD
  • Diminished quality of life
  • Loss of consortium

California courts rarely award punitive damages. Punitive damages are only available in cases involving extreme misconduct–such as operating a bus under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Bus Accident in California?

California is a pure comparative negligence state. That means accident victims can recover damages even if they’re partly responsible for an accident. On the other hand, the amount of your compensation can be reduced to account for your percentage of responsibility.

We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Bus Accident Injuries

Most large buses don’t have seat belts and passenger airbags. That means bus accident victims often sustain very serious injuries in a crash. On the other hand, busses are large, heavy commercial vehicles. When they collide with a passenger vehicle, the passenger vehicles—and its riders—usually lose.

At Mission Personal Injury Lawyers, our team will fight to recover fair compensation for all of your injuries, including:

We can also help you fight for fair compensation if you’re mourning the wrongful death of a loved one after a bus accident in San Diego.

What Causes Most Bus Accidents in San Diego, California?

Bus accidents can happen for a lot of reasons. Roads and highways around San Diego can be congested. Even light rain can cause the roads to become slick and dangerous.

In many cases, bus accidents are caused by negligence. In other words, bus accidents often happen because of preventable driver errors and carelessness. 

Some of the most common causes of bus accidents in San Diego include:

If you were injured in an accident involving a bus in San Diego or La Mesa, you may be entitled to compensation. Our San Diego bus accident attorneys at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers can help you find out who is responsible for paying your damages. Call our law offices today to schedule a free case evaluation.

How Do I Prove Negligence After a Bus Accident in California? 

Bus accident victims are entitled to seek compensation from any party whose negligence contributed to the crash. Before you can begin fighting for compensation, it’s important to learn more about whose negligence caused the crash.

Negligence is a legal term. Someone is negligent when they fail to exercise reasonable caution under the circumstances. 

More specifically, you can recover damages based on negligence if you can prove:

Cases involving bus accidents are often complicated because more than one party may be responsible. Unlike your typical car accident case, the bus driver almost never owns the vehicle. It’s the driver’s employer who may ultimately be liable for damages.

Also, you may be able to recover damages from more than one responsible party, including:

  • The bus driver
  • Public transit authorities
  • The owner of a private tour bus
  • The employer of a negligent driver
  • Bicyclists, pedestrians, and other drivers involved in the crash
  • Negligent bus mechanics
  • A company hired to inspect and maintain the buses
  • The manufacturer of a defective bus component
  • Public or private school systems

Plaintiffs have the burden of proof in California personal injury cases. That means you’ll have to identify the responsible party and prove that they were negligent to recover compensation.

Our lawyers are here to help. We’ll examine police reports, interview witnesses, and get to the bottom of what happened in your case. All you have to do is call to schedule your free case review to get started.

How Long Do I Have to File a Bus Accident Lawsuit in California?

The statute of limitations in California personal injury cases is two years. If the defendant is a private party, you’ll have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit.

However, many buses in San Diego are operated by government transit authorities. You may have as little as six months to file a notice of claim against the city of San Diego.

If you miss these deadlines, you’ll lose your right to financial compensation forever. So, if you’ve recently suffered injuries in a crash, it’s important to speak with a qualified attorney as soon as possible.

Contact a San Diego Bus Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Serious bus accident injuries can change your life in unexpected ways. Fortunately, you may be entitled to compensation. A San Diego bus accident lawyer at Mission Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to recover the money you need. Call or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation to learn more.

Our personal injury law firm in San Diego, CA also provides: