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If you have school-aged children, there’s a strong likelihood that you depend on your district’s bus system to get your child to and from school safely. Unfortunately, even with the strict safety regulations in place for school buses, tragic accidents still occur.
If your child has been hurt as a result of an accident on the school bus, or involving a school bus, Regan Zambri Long is here to help. Our attorneys have secured millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for victims of childhood injuries and we will do everything to secure the compensation you need to move forward from this event.
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There are many parties who can be held liable for a school bus accident. If your child is on a school bus and becomes injured in an accident, the school district, bus driver, or potentially the entity responsible for maintaining roadways can be held responsible after a school bus accident. However, another driver could also be to blame for a collision.
With personal roots in Washington, DC, Virginia, and Maryland, Regan Zambri Long takes the safety of our children seriously and works hard to protect your most precious family members. To determine who is responsible, the cause of the bus accident will need to be established. For a no-obligation, free consultation, contact the school bus accident lawyers of Regan Zambri Long to learn you legal options.
If your loved one was injured on a school bus as a result of another’s negligence or harmful intentions, you deserve justice. At Regan Zambri Long, our bus accident lawyers have more than 30 years of experience helping accident victims recover compensation for their losses.
Our lawyers have extensive knowledge of the intricacies of personal injury law surrounding public school accidents, including those that take place on the bus. From the statute of limitation to damage caps, our team will work closely with you to efficiently reach an agreement with the school district, the bus driver, or other responsible parties in a timely manner. We do this by negotiating with the involved parties, and/or representing you in the courtroom.
Depending on the extent of the child’s injuries, we can help you recover compensation for:
We know that when your child is hurting, you’re hurting. With medical bills piling up, you may wonder if you can afford legal representation. That’s why we work on a contingency fee basis meaning there are no attorney fees charged to you until we recover funds on your child’s behalf in a settlement or verdict.
To learn more about the ways the school bus accident lawyers of Regan Zambri Long can help you and your family in this trying time, contact us for a no-obligation, free consultation at 202-960-4596 or connect with us online.
School bus accidents are preventable yet they happen nearly every day. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), 4,800 injuries and 54 deaths occurred because of school bus accidents in 2020.
Common causes of school bus accidents include:
Unfortunately, the most common cause of school bus accidents is distracted driving–but not necessarily because a driver is using a phone, changing the radio station, etc. Due to student conduct on a bus, loud noises, and other behaviors, drivers may find themselves distracted while operating the bus which can lead to collisions.
Kids will be kids, but when their conduct creates hazardous conditions on a school bus, parents may wonder if their children can be held responsible for an accident. In some cases, a court may rule that despite the behavior of children on a bus, it is the driver’s duty to ensure there is order on the bus and if they fail to do so, or the student conduct results in distracted driving, this can still add to liability on the part of the driver.
But there are things that students and parents alike should be aware of to keep school buses safe. This includes:
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), school buses are the most regulated vehicles on roadways across the country. Their safety features begin with their very design–the bright yellow color makes them highly visible as well as flashing lights. Further, the cross-view mirrors and stop-sign arms are made to give the driver control over oncoming traffic and added visibility.
For the passengers they carry, seats are made out of protective materials and the bus itself is designed to withstand crushing and rollovers.
In addition to the design of school buses, the drivers are also held to training requirements to ensure they are suitable for the job. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration explains that states regulate the training requirements for school bus drivers however, there are fairly universal standards in place. These include:
But, if a driver is not trained properly in operating a school bus, collisions can occur.
It’s no surprise that school bus accidents and school injury claims are complex. From determining fault to calculating damages, there are a variety of factors that can impact your school bus accident case.
Liability Laws
The most important factor to consider when involved in a school bus accident case is the liability laws in that state. For example, in Washington, DC you can sue for intentional torts and negligence, but you must be able to prove that the intent was to harm, or that the district was negligent in some way leading to the injuries your child sustained.
Statute of Limitations
Depending on the state or jurisdiction the school bus accident took place will determine the amount of time you have to take legal action. In most cases, you have 60 to 90 days to file a Notice of Claim against a school district. If you fail to do so, you may forfeit your rights to take action against the school.
You also need to be aware of the personal injury statutes in your state.
Severity of Injuries
The severity of the injuries sustained will also impact the type of compensation you can recover in a school bus collision case. If your child only sustained cuts and bumps as a result of the accident, they likely won’t collect as much as if they had sustained a severe or life-threatening injury.
All of these factors combined can also impact the length of your school bus accident case. In addition, how many people were on the bus and hurt, the responsiveness of other parents, and the cause of the accident can also impact how long a case may take to resolve.
Whether your child was injured while riding the school bus, or a loved one who was a pedestrian, bicyclist, or other driver is involved in a collision with a school bus, there are certain steps you can take following a school bus accident.
Following any type of motor vehicle accident, you should seek medical attention. Some of the most common injuries following a school bus accident include neck and back injuries and various broken bones. But be mindful that some injuries may take days to appear.
Getting medical attention after a school bus accident is not only important for your health and well-being, but is critical for your legal case.
Document the school bus accident
If you can do so, document the bus accident including taking photos of the damage and any resulting injuries. Also speak to witnesses, secure a copy of the police report, and be sure to talk to your child about everything that happened.
Any medical treatment you or a loved one receives should be documented not only for the financial elements but to keep a record of any changes in health and long-term care needs.
Following a school bus accident, you and your loved ones will likely be recovering not just physically, but emotionally from the accident. This is why you need to contact an experienced school bus accident lawyer as soon as possible. At Regan Zambri Long, our school bus accident lawyers can help build your case and get you the compensation needed to move forward from this horrific experience.
