Utah Bus Accident Lawyers

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a bus accident, you need to contact our experienced Utah bus accident lawyers before it’s too late. Buses are an excellent form of transportation for those who choose not to have a car and don’t want to deal with the expenses that come with having a car. Like every mode of transportation, you have a risk of something going wrong. Bus accidents unfortunately happen and when it happens to you, it can be awful. Getting hurt in any scenario can completely turn your life upside down and cause you a lot of grief. It is frustrating to be in an accident and then have to pay medical bills or miss work because of it. Our Utah bus accident attorneys are here to help you through it all. We will take over everything that has to do with your case so that you can focus on healing and recovering. After learning about your bus accident case, do not hesitate to give our office a call to set up a free consultation.

How Compensation Works

Utah is a state that follows shared fault rules which affects how much compensation you may be eligible for. Here is how the rule works: If you are found to be 50% or more at fault for the cause of the accident, you will be completely barred from compensation altogether. If you are found to be less than 50% at fault, then your compensation will be reduced. If you share no fault in causing the accident (you were a passenger sitting on the bus when it collided with a car) then you would get full compensation. To give you an example of how the reduction of compensation works, let’s say you were deemed 10% to blame for the accident for what ever reason. Now, let’s say your compensation reward is $10,000. Because you shared fault under 50%, you have to have a reduction in your compensation. You would take 10% away from that $10,000 reward which would give you $9,000. Our Utah bus accident lawyers work hard to get you the fullest and fairest amount of compensation possible.

Types of Bus Accident Injuries

Bus accidents include more than collisions of vehicles. They can be slip and falls at the bus station, you can be a passenger on the bus during a crash, or you could be in another vehicle that collided with the bus. The possible injuries range greatly due to these possible accidents that the term “bus accident” covers. The types of injuries include:

Broken bones or fractures
Cuts and lacerations
Whiplash
Spinal injury

Head injury
Internal bleeding
Paralysis

These injuries have the ability to be permanent in nature. When you are seeking compensation, regardless of fault, the amount you receive is based on your injuries. If you have an injury that heals soon, your compensation would be less than if you were never going to heal from an injury. All of the details about your condition are taken into consideration when coming up with compensation to ask for.

Frequently Asked Bus Accident Questions

How do I pick the best attorney for my bus accident claim?

If you have been injured in a bus crash in the state of Utah, selecting the correct attorney is critical in your claim. You need to choose an attorney who has experience in dealing with commercial vehicles and understands the different laws that apply to people and operators of a commercial vehicle. There are different rules that apply to these vehicles that don’t apply to smaller cars. At Swenson & Shelley, we’ve dealt with a number of these crashes before. We understand the different rules, and we understand the ways to hold drivers of commercial vehicles responsible for the injuries that they cause.

Should I speak with insurance companies after a bus accident?

If you’ve been injured in a bus accident in the state of Utah, you might get asked to give a recorded statement to insurance adjusters, insurance attorneys, or their representatives. You are not required to do that. I would recommend that you talk to an attorney before you give any kind of recorded statement. The reason I do that is because they’re going to ask the questions, and they’re going to control the conversation in the way that they want to, and they’re going to try to indicate that you’re not hurt or if you are hurt, you’re not as hurt as you think you are, or you’re doing better, or you did something in the crash that you shouldn’t have been doing. Their entire purpose is to say the value of your case is not what it’s really worth.

What’s the difference between a bus accident claim and a car crash claim?

If you have been injured by a bus in the state of Utah, there are some differences that are important that our clients need to be aware of. First, buses are typically much larger than the objects or the vehicles that they strike, and so the forces are different. You need to understand what those forces are and how that impacts the type of injuries that you sustain and how severe those injuries are.

Second, you’re typically dealing with a corporate policy, which typically carry higher insurance limits, so there usually is a greater amount of insurance to cover the injuries you sustain. A third issue is, lots of times, buses are owned by either states or cities, or municipalities or school districts, which are governmental agencies, and if the bus that injured you is owned by a governmental agency, there are different rules that apply. You have a shorter amount of time to bring a claim. There are certain steps you have to take, and if you fail to take any of those steps, you could lose your right to make a claim.

Can I file a claim if I was injured as a passenger on a bus?

If you’ve been involved in a bus crash in the state of Utah, there are a number of things that we would recommend you do. Number one, we recommend that you report the injury to the bus driver as soon as you can. Let the bus driver know that you have been injured so that a report can be created and the bus company is put on notice. Second, we recommend that you go and seek the medical care of good doctors who can help you get started on the path of healing and recovery. Third, we recommend that you consult with a personal injury attorney who has handled bus crashes.

Can I file a claim if my child was injured on a school bus?

If your child was injured on a school bus, whether or not your child can bring a claim depends on a number of factors. First, we need to do an investigation and try to determine what the cause of the injury was. Was it caused by the bus driver? Was it caused by the school itself? Was it caused by another student that was on the bus? The second thing that needs to be understood is that schools usually are covered by governmental immunity, and the amount of time that your child has to bring a claim against the school could be shortened, and several steps need to be followed in order to be able to bring a claim against a school district.

Will my bus accident case go to trial?

If you’ve been injured in a bus crash in the state of Utah, you might be wondering if your case is going to go to trial. That is a question that we get from a lot of our clients. In the beginning of a case, it’s really hard to determine this. It depends on a number of factors. One of the big ones is the insurance company making you a fair offer to settle your case. In a lot of situations, insurance companies are unwilling to make a fair offer. When that happens, we are ready and prepared to go to trial. We help our clients be prepared and comfortable with the trial process so that they know exactly what a trial is going to be and what their involvement is, and we help our clients step by step through the trial process.

How much is my bus accident case worth?

If you’re trying to figure out what a bus injury case is worth, understand that that’s a very tough question to answer. Some of the things that need to be looked at are the severity of the injury, the length of time that you suffer from the injury, how well you recover, and how well you’re able to get back to work and do the things that you love to do. These are all things that are very difficult to know at the beginning of a case and develop as the case goes along.

Statute of Limitations

It is possible that you have never heard of a statute of limitations. What the term means is a time period in which you can bring your bus accident claim or settle it in court. In Utah, the statute of limitations is four years. You will have four years in which you can bring or settle your case. If you procrastinate and call a lawyer the day after this four year time limit runs out, they cannot help you. It is not a loose rule, it is definite. You should never wait to start a bus accident claim. Once you are physically able to contact a lawyer, you should. They will make sure that the essential elements for a successful claim are in order. The sooner all of this happens, the better.

Call Our Utah Bus Accident Lawyers Today

When you are involved in a bus accident, it can really turn your life upside down and cause you and your family a lot of stress. We want to help make your life a lot easier after this accident. We will take on the stress of all things legal and we will do what we need to do to get you the compensation you deserve. Please call our Utah bus accident lawyers today to get a free initial consultation.