Kent bus accident lawyer

Thousands of people ride a bus in Kent every single day. Our region is fortunate to be served by the King County Metro Bus, which connects Kent to Seattle, Renton, and other cities in the region. The circulating shuttle is also a great way to get around town.
Other people ride private charter buses or send their children to school on a bus. Everyone expects their bus to arrive at its destination without incident, but when they don’t, injured victims should contact an attorney to review the options for obtaining compensation.
Khan Injury Law is proud to represent those injured in bus accidents, and we hope to meet with you to go over the circumstances surrounding your accident.

Bus Accident Injuries

These accidents can leave our clients in considerable pain due to a variety of injuries, such as:

Concussions and other traumatic brain injuries
Whiplash
Soft-tissue injuries
Fractures
Compressed nerves
Back injuries
Spinal cord damage

Even if you can walk away unharmed from an accident, you should pay close attention to how you are feeling in the days and weeks following. Some injuries start out small, and you might overlook them. However, within days, they can worsen to the point that it is difficult to get out of bed and return to work.

Identifying Fault in a Bus Accident

Bus accidents vary in severity and type. Some accidents involve collisions with other motor vehicles while out on the road. For example, another vehicle could strike the bus, or the bus could be forced from the road and strike a building or other structure.

When a bus is involved in a collision, there is always the question of who is to blame for the accident. The bus accident could have been caused by:

The bus driver
Another motorist on the road
A dangerous condition on the road, such as a pothole or snow or ice
A defect on the bus, due to either negligent maintenance or defective products

Fault matters in Washington because the entity or person responsible must pay compensation to injured victims. In some cases, fault is apparent, but in other cases a thorough investigation is necessary to identify who bears ultimate legal responsibility for the collision.

Not all accidents are collisions, however. A person could also be injured on a bus when they slip and fall or trip and fall. Ice and snow can accumulate inside the bus, especially during the coldest days, which can make it dangerous for passengers to get on or off. Defective guardrails could also send a passenger tumbling.

How Bus Accidents Differ from Car Accidents

Being involved in a bus accident is very different from surviving a car accident, and victims should hire an attorney who is experienced in bus accidents.

Questions regarding fault are often more complicated. There are more moving parts on a bus and more entities involved. Something could go wrong, especially with maintenance. This means that a victim might need to sue many people, including the mechanic who fixed the bus.

Another question in a bus accident is whether the bus owner is to blame. For example, if a bus driver shows up intoxicated, then he or she could be sued personally for the crash. However, the bus company could also be sued, either because it was careless in hiring this person or because they are automatically liable under the concept of vicarious liability.

Bus accidents also are more aggressively defended, because so many more people are injured. A serious bus accident could leave dozens of people badly hurt, and an insurance company wants to limit the amount of compensation it pays.

Also, if you are suing a government entity, like the Metro, you will need to comply with certain requirements. Suing the government is not the same as suing a private citizen, and your attorney should know the critical steps to take and what deadlines to comply with.

Obtaining Compensation after an Accident

To help with your case, you should hold onto your bus ticket. This will help show that you were on the bus when the accident occurred. There is other evidence you can use—such as witnesses who saw you on the bus—but the moments after a crash are often confusing. You might not get the names of any witnesses, so hold onto your ticket.

Our clients have managed to obtain compensation for any financial losses, including medical bills to treat their injuries. Some clients need extensive medical help, including surgery or costly rehabilitation. They also must cover the cost of follow-up appointments with their doctor, prescription drugs, and other expenses.

If your injuries prevented you from working, you might also qualify for replacement of those lost wages. Many bus injuries leave people with extended rehabilitation schedules, in which case they can lose out on thousands of dollars in lost income.

If you were struck by a bus, then your car will need costly repairs. Because of their size, buses can cause considerable damage that might total a vehicle. An innocent victim should not have to pay for this property damage if they were not to blame for the crash.

Pain and Suffering

In a Washington personal injury lawsuit, a victim can often qualify for compensation to cover pain and suffering in the form of money damages

Pain and suffering damages are complex, though. No one really knows with confidence how much a victim can receive because no two people value pain and suffering the exact same way. Generally, the more serious a victim’s injuries, the more he or she can receive for pain and suffering, though there is no precise formula we use.

Contact Khan Injury Law for a Free Consultation

If you have been involved in a business accident, do not immediately agree to a settlement offer. Instead, contact our law firm today. Our attorneys have negotiated with many of the largest insurance companies in Washington state, and we know how to drive a hard bargain for our clients.

For more information, please contact Khan Injury Law to schedule a free initial consultation. You have nothing to lose.