Managing the aftermath of any motor vehicle accident is stressful at best. Victims must heal from physical injuries and emotional trauma and deal with insurance matters. Bus accidents come with added layers of complexity as the type of bus involved and the specific cause of the accident affect how victims pursue compensation for their losses, and determining that cause, navigating the relevant legal course, and contending with often-powerful insurance companies are daunting tasks.
Victims who partner with a Haddonfield personal injury lawyer from Rand Spear give themselves the best chance of seeing a favorable case outcome. You can trust your Haddonfield bus accident lawyer to investigate your accident fully and take your case through the appropriate legal channels with efficiency. With 30 years in business and over 200 years of combined experience, we are more than prepared to fight for the justice and substantial compensation you need to support your recovery and secure your financial future.
Take Steps to Help Yourself
While still at the scene of the accident, take steps to protect yourself and your potential case–as long as you are not too injured to move and can take these steps without causing further injury. If your injuries are serious, stay still until emergency services arrive. Otherwise, start collecting information to support your injury claim:
- Document as much information about the bus and bus driver as possible. If other drivers are involved, get their information, too.
- Note the basic facts of the accident–the date, time, and location.
- Get photo evidence. Capture road conditions, vehicle positions, traffic signals, your injuries, and any other relevant details.
- Take names and contacts for accident witnesses. Ask them to share photos or videos they may have taken or to text you a description of what they saw.
- See a doctor right away or within a day, at most. Delayed care can endanger your health and leave room for the at-fault party to claim you caused your worsened condition by postponing treatment or that you could not have been as injured as your claim states if you did not seek care promptly.
The next critical step is connecting with Rand Spear The Accident Lawyer. Do not speak to representatives for any involved parties until you have spoken with a Haddonfield bus accident attorney from our team. Once we enter a partnership with you, we handle all communication with relevant players and get to work building a convincing case.
Investigating Your Accident and Filing a Claim
Your bus accident attorney in Haddonfield will conduct a thorough post-accident investigation to understand what happened and identify the culpable party or parties. Depending on the specifics of your accident, these parties may include:
- The bus operator or other third-party drivers. Reckless, fatigued, or distracted driving, driving under the influence, speeding, or lack of compliance with other traffic laws are all possible causes of an accident.
- A vehicle or vehicle part manufacturer or installer. If the bus or other vehicle malfunctioned and that problem led to the accident, those responsible for producing or installing the defective element may be culpable.
- The bus company. Bus companies must maintain their buses, vet and train drivers, take unsafe drivers off the road, and comply with comprehensive passenger carrier and bus safety regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). These companies may be liable if the accident results from compliance failures.
- Government offices. School buses and buses in the Port Authority Transit Company (PATCO) or NJ Transit fleets are under government purview. If the accident represents a failure in compliance or diligence on the part of one of the respective agencies, your claim may be against the related government office.
Next, your attorney will file your claim with the courts. New Jersey has a two-year statute of limitations for filing injury claims against a private company or individual, but those filing against the government must send a notice of claim within 90 days of the incident. The right time to contact a personal injury lawyer from Rand Spear is as soon as possible after your accident to ensure timely filing.
Haddonfield Bus Accident Lawyer Near Me (215) 985-2424
Damages Available to New Jersey Injury Victims
Bus accidents cause physical injury, emotional distress, property damage, and other consequences. Victims deserve compensation for these varied and significant losses. A skilled bus accident lawyer in Haddonfield will detail your losses, putting a fair dollar amount on your economic and non-economic damages.
Financial losses or expenses incurred by the accident comprise economic damages. Your attorney will factor in medical costs to treat injuries and provide future care, earnings lost during recovery time or future income and benefits lost if you cannot go back to work, and the value of property repairs or replacement in your economic damages. If you face other costs, perhaps to pay others to take care of duties you can no longer handle because of your injuries, they will also be included.
The emotional and psychological fallout from the accident and your injuries, your pain, and reductions to your quality of life are non-economic damages. Non-economic damages do not come with a set dollar amount but hold tremendous value. Your Haddonfield bus accident attorney will calculate pain and suffering damages to ensure you receive financial justice for these losses.
Fighting Hard and Putting Clients First
After your bus injury, Demand Rand. Our team puts clients first–we will treat you like family–and fights hard for New Jersey injury victims. We are not intimidated by powerful insurance companies and will not be taken in by strategies intended to deny you your rights or the just compensation you deserve. Count on an experienced Haddonfield bus accident lawyer from our team to support you through your case, bringing it to the most favorable resolution possible.
Call or text (215) 985-2424 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
