Being injured at a bus stop is probably the last thought on your mind while waiting in line for your bus. Unfortunately, bus stop accidents resulting in serious injuries or fatalities, tend to happen more often than you could expect. The reports of these accidents are not meant to scare potential bus riders; rather, they're meant to help different entities make necessary changes that improve the overall safety of bus stops. If you are injured at a bus stop, knowing what to do after the accident will be helpful when you are bringing a claim against the liable parties. A personal injury attorney should be able to help you in seeking fair compensation for your damages.

Commuters Could be at Risk While Waiting at the Bus Stop

Bus stops can give passengers a false sense of security. However, they could be an unsafe place to wait if the stop is poorly lit, the footpaths are in bad shape, there's no security, or the drivers on the road are careless.

It makes no difference if you are waiting for a school, commuter, city transit, or tour bus. You could presume your bus driver is conscious of the stop and understands when they should slow down so that passengers could board the bus.

Instead of paying close attention and focusing on the oncoming bus, you, like every other person, are often preoccupied with phones or other usual distractions. Mostly, the wait for the bus will end with it coming to a halt slowly causing no accidents. However, in some situations, things may go south, and injuries or fatalities may occur.

The pleasure of using public transit becomes a challenge if you or a loved one sustains injuries while entering or exiting a bus, or is severely injured by a negligent driver who crashes with passengers at a bus shelter. The weight of the automobile, its speed, and the way it struck the person are mostly the key determinants in whether or not the accident is potentially deadly. As a result, bus stop accidents involving heavy vehicles, such as buses, are often more likely to result in fatalities than crashes that involve smaller vehicles.

In Las Vegas especially, buses have lots of interactions with pedestrians. After dropping off or before picking up passengers, they have to maneuver around the passengers. This raises the possibility of an accident if a bus driver is not careful. Whichever the case may be, finding the responsible party is critical to recovering damages.

In Nevada, individuals who are injured at bus stops (also known as bus shelters) could be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, loss of earnings, pain, and misery, or wrongful death under Nevada Laws. People who have been injured at a bus stop in Las Vegas are likely to sue the driver of the car that hit them. However, bus riders might also file claims against the bus company or a municipal agency in some situations.

Why Do Las Vegas Bus Stop Accidents Occur?

Bus stop accidents can happen due to many reasons. You could fall and slip at the stop, be mugged or assaulted, get hit by a bus or an oncoming vehicle. The majority of accidents that occur could be prevented however, some happen unexpectedly and are caused by a variety of factors such as:

  • Distracted driving

  • Bad weather conditions that reduce visibility

  • Driving under the influence

  • Speeding

  • Malfunctioning bus parts

  • Unskilled drivers

  • Poor lighting at the bus stops

What You Should Do After a Bus Stop Accident

The steps you take after being involved in a bus stop accident in Las Vegas are extremely important. If another driver was to blame, you have the legal right to receive compensation. However, if you do not take the necessary steps, you may not receive all you are entitled to.

It is critical to comprehend every step. The following is a more detailed explanation of the steps you should take:

  • Check for Injuries

After the accident, your primary focus should be on your general wellbeing. Regardless of how mild your symptoms would seem, you must work cooperatively with emergency personnel on the scene and go to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible after the incident. The reason you should seek medical services quickly is first, to detect and assess any injuries you could have suffered, as well as those that aren't immediately apparent. If you think you require medical assistance, you should call the police.

Secondly, it establishes a solid basis for your losses afterward. This means the opposition will be unable to try and reduce the damages if your hospital records indicate that you received treatment soon after the accident occurred.

  • Speak to Your Car Insurer (When Applicable)

If you happened to be inside or near your vehicle when the accident occurred, you may be required to notify your insurer about the incident as well as your claim during a given period, however, this highly depends on your insurance policy. You could also be capable of using your PIP coverage for early treatment and medical care.

  • Keep Your Medical Records

The main aim of most personal injury claims is usually to obtain enough compensatory damages to pay for your losses and healthcare costs. This should increase the odds of ensuring a successful personal injury claim if you can keep records of your expenses and communications.

  • Ask for a copy of the Police Report

When a car accident takes place on urban roads, authorities will normally perform an initial inquiry and prepare a report, which is most often very persuasive findings because they are documented on the spot. You should request a copy of this report for record-keeping. Keep in mind that you should avoid admitting fault to the police during interrogation even if you think you were to blame for the accident.

  • Reach Out to Your Attorney

This might be the most crucial step because a personal injury attorney can compensate for other errors you might have made before you contacted him or her. The sooner you engage an attorney, the sooner you can begin the process of seeking compensation. It'll be more difficult to collect proof, reports, and anything else needed to back up your argument if you take too long to act.

Types of Bus Stop Accident Injuries

Motorists should try and avoid hitting passengers waiting at bus stops. Sadly, “trying” and “succeeding” are entirely different.

Drivers could sometimes miscalculate distances where they are supposed to stop, be unable to notice the presence of passengers when they are getting off or on in their blind spots which can be in the front, at the back, as well as at the sides of the bus or vehicle, and underestimate or overestimate turning distances, along with veering into bystanders. A would-be-rider could be killed by these kinds of mistakes. Additionally, while you wait by the side of the roads for your bus, other automobiles may collide with you.

Severe injuries can happen whenever a driver's carelessness causes him or her to lose control of the vehicle. Injuries may include:

  • Scarring brain trauma and head injuries. Bus drivers who lose control and swerve into people at the stops can inflict serious injuries, including lacerations, head trauma, lacerations, fractures, and contusions. If someone is struck by the bus, he or she may be thrown causing him or her to hit the ground, further injuring the brain

  • Injuries to the neck, back, and spine. A collision's force could span from a light nudge to hundreds of pounds of weight. Whiplash, which happens to be a common injury of the neck, could be caused by even minor forces, whereas a significant crash with the shoulders, hips, or back could cause irreversible spinal cord injury as well as muscle and bone injuries

  • Internal injuries and fractured bones The impact of a bus on a person's frail frame could lead to considerable crush damages, fractured bones, internal injuries, or even organ damage

Who is at Fault for Your Bus Stop Accident?

When it comes to bus stop accidents, multiple entities can be held accountable, such as:

  • The bus driver is held responsible in the event of traffic offenses or driving while intoxicated

  • If the transportation company or bus owner is deemed negligent in his or her hiring procedures, having unrealistic expectations for the driver, or neglecting regular maintenance for the bus, they will be held responsible

  • If the injury was triggered by equipment failure, the bus mechanic or the institution responsible for maintaining the bus will be held responsible

  • Cities and counties may also be found responsible if the accident was caused by external factors like poor road conditions or poorly constructed bus stops and lanes. This would be less common, but it is still feasible

  • Other motorists on the road could also be made accountable if they contributed to the accident. The majority of bus accidents are chain reflexes, and the underlying reason isn't always the bus

It may appear that establishing who is responsible for your losses is straightforward, but realistically speaking, bus stop accidents are infamously hard to prove who is to blame since there are many parties involved. This is because buses typically have multiple stakeholders or owners, as well as a large number of moving components that lead to an increased likelihood of failure.

Parties who are deemed to be "at fault" for a bus stop accident in Nevada could be considered responsible for any subsequent damages. Liability is established under Nevada Revised Statutes 41.141. This legislation has significant implications for determining fault and dividing liability.

To determine fault, you have to first demonstrate negligence. Negligence is termed as failing to exercise due care in a specific circumstance. What counts as due care in any given case will always be determined by the details of the situation.

It's worth noting, however, that transit services are held to exceptionally high requirements. Since they are classified under common carriers, buses have extensive legal responsibilities to ensure the protection of their riders, and other pedestrians and drivers on the roads.

Additionally, because Nevada is a "comparative" negligence state, different entities may be held liable for one accident. Culpability could also be divided in a variety of ways. In certain situations, a bus agency, and manufacturer, for instance, might very well both be found liable for causing the accident. In some cases, the bus agency and a third-party driver may share blame for causing an accident.

Liability can also be determined by the type of incident that occurred and events that contributed to it. If you were mugged or physically attacked while waiting at a bus stop, for instance, liability could be split: your attacker could be found responsible for apparent reasons, however, the enterprise in charge of overseeing the bus stop could also be found responsible for failing to offer proper and sufficient security.

If you were injured in a slip and fall incident, the individual responsible for running the bus stop may also be found liable. If the reason for the slip and fall incident was a risk that could have been rectified, like a damaged step or even an irregular pavement surface, the bus stop owners will be found culpable.

If you were hit by an oncoming vehicle while at the bus stop, the operator of that car will be found responsible presuming you weren't acting negligently at the moment of the incident, like for example crossing the road unlawfully or jumping towards the oncoming traffic.

In some instances, a transit agency and a third-party operator may share blame for a collision. Victims may also be able to take some responsibility for causing the accident. If you have been found partially liable, your damages will be lessened duly. As a result, you must work with a skilled personal injury attorney who will defend you against any unjustifiable share of the blame.

Anybody hurt at a bus stop could be able to make a lawsuit against the party responsible for the incident. An irresponsible or careless driver is usually responsible for most of the bus stop accidents. A plaintiff, on the other hand, must demonstrate that the driver was at fault.

Attempting to prove that the driver at fault broke traffic rules, was speeding, or was operating the vehicle while intoxicated will show that the other party was at fault There are times when a bus stop's exact location can prove to be dangerous. This may include, for instance, a stop that's near the main road or is situated in a location where other persons have previously been injured.

Compensation Available For Bus Stop Injury Victims

Injured people in Nevada have the right to pursue compensation to cover the damages incurred as a result of the accident. If you have been injured in a bus stop accident, you are entitled to compensation for losses incurred and any other intangible losses.

Unfortunately, obtaining proper compensation could be difficult; sometimes minor errors or delays could have a significant impact on the capacity to receive a proper settlement agreement. Your personal injury lawyer should work diligently to develop a solid case that will result in you receiving fair compensation. You are eligible to receive compensation for:

  • Your health care expenses, along with any rehabilitation expenses;

  • Disability, regardless of whether short or long-term;

  • Loss of wages, in terms of lost earnings or reduced earning potential

  • Suffering, pain, and emotional pain

  • Extreme physical injuries, like deformity or limb loss

  • Punitive damages may also be obtainable in certain circumstances

Punitive damages could be collected to penalize an entity if it can be proven “ beyond a reasonable doubt that the entity engaged in "malevolent acts" or paid no attention to the general public's protections or security.

Take Action Quickly After Your Accident

If you've been in a bus stop accident, you should not waste any time. You have to understand that crucial evidence could vanish fast. You must seek legal counsel from a seasoned personal injury lawyer early to safeguard your capability to recover compensation. Your attorney will investigate the incident that occurred and record all of your damages for incorporation in our compensation claim. This simple truth is that contacting a lawyer as soon as possible will greatly maximize your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve.

Along with gathering evidence, you should bear in mind that legally, you have a limited amount of time in which to file a lawsuit. Bus stop accident injury claims must be filed within two years in Nevada as per the state's statute of limitations. Even though extensions are eligible in certain circumstances, it is preferable to have your claim progressing soon to safeguard your rights.

Contact a Las Vegas Bus Accident Attorney Near Me

If you have been hit by a vehicle or a bus while waiting at a bus stop anywhere in Las Vegas, Nevada, you are obligated to demand compensation for any damages that may have occurred. To learn more about your legal options, set up a free, non-obligatory consultation with the Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm. You could be capable of holding the transit company, contractors, or the manufacturer responsible for your injuries along with bringing a claim against a reckless driver. Call us at 702-996-1224 right now to get the expert advice and guidance you need.