Bus Accident Lawyer
Bus accidents can lead to catastrophic injuries, and victims often face complex legal challenges. Whether it’s a city bus, school bus, or charter bus, understanding your rights and seeking professional legal help is crucial. A bus accident lawyer at Rob Levine Law can help navigate the nuances of these claims, ensuring you get the justice and compensation you deserve.
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Last Updated:
April 7, 2025
Riding the bus is one of the easiest ways to travel around town or between states in New England. This form of public transportation is more eco-friendly than driving, is generally less expensive and lets passengers focus on other tasks during their commute.
Yet, while buses are convenient, they are not always safe. A factsheet provided by the Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety claims that 19 people die and 7,887 are injured in bus crashes each year per statistics offered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 1999 to 2008. Furthermore, a special report conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board reports that buses have a higher likelihood of fatal accident involvement per registered vehicle. The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute reported that 83% of bus drivers were not engaging in dangerous driving behavior, implying that these types of accidents can happen without warning and are often caused by other drivers on the road.
Sadly, some bus accidents may lead to serious injuries or death, but if you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a bus crash, bus accident lawyers at Rob Levine Law can help you determine who was liable and what you can do to recover due payment. We are familiar with applicable laws in Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts and will work with you to present a valid claim for damages.
Uncover Liability With an Experienced Bus Accident Lawyer
Of course, there is no one single cause of all bus crashes, because each accident may be the result of different factors. The following is a list of components that may contribute to a bus accident:
- Driver fatigue
- Driver distraction due to electronics, food or even unruly passengers on the bus
- Faulty bus parts
- Aggressive driving or road rage, either on the part of the bus driver or another driver on the road
- Lack of driver experience behind the wheel of a bus
- Driver intoxication due to drugs or alcohol
The presence of any or all of these factors can cause a serious accident. Identifying what caused or contributed to the accident is vital to establishing liability.
If are a passenger on a bus and find yourself involved in a bus accident, the most important thing to prove that you were on the bus at the time of the accident.
- Retain a copy of your receipt, showing the bus number, date and time in which you boarded the bus
- The driver of the bus, or a supervisor who comes to the scene, is required to make a list of all the passengers on the bus. Ensure that your name is on the list and take a picture of the list including a picture of the driver for your records.
The bus accident lawyers at Rob Levine Law can help you collect evidence and investigate the crash.
The Responsibility of Common Carriers
In the realm of bus accidents, a doctrine of common carrier liability comes into play. This doctrine, while varying across state lines, ultimately states that common carriers, such as buses and other forms of public transportation, must adhere to a duty of care during operation. Failure to uphold this standard of care may place liability directly on the bus company. The bus company also may be liable if it allowed an inexperienced driver to operate the bus or if an intoxicated driver caused an accident.
A private bus company or a government agency responsible for the bus may be liable. In the latter case, government liability laws will come into play, which can vary depending on the location of the accident or where you boarded the bus in Rhode Island, Connecticut, or Massachusetts.
If the bus crash was due to defective parts, liability instead may be placed on the manufacturer. Because of the complexity of these issues, it is important to speak with a bus accident attorney who can help.
An Experienced Bus Accident Attorney Can Help
At Rob Levine Law, we understand how traumatic it can be to be involved in a bus crash. We also realize how important it is to file a timely claim in order to recover compensation and to gather all necessary evidence in order to strengthen your claim.
Please contact us today for help if you’re in Providence, Boston, Fall River, Hartford, or New Haven. While you are focused on recovering from your injuries or grieving the loss of a loved one, our bus accident lawyers will be working diligently to recover due payment. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us today.
FAQs About Your Injury or Accident Case
What should I do after a car accident?
Your health should be your priority. See a healthcare professional and follow their orders. During the case, do not discuss the accident with the at-fault party’s insurance company, as this could unintentionally help build their case against you. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney will help you navigate the process.
- Dial 911 and report the accident. Let them know if there are any injuries and always request a rescue if you are injured.
- Never move your vehicle prior to the police arriving.
- If you are able to exit your vehicle, take pictures of the accident scene from a distance so that you can see all of the vehicles involved and all of the vehicles in one picture. Then take close-up pictures of each vehicle involved. Make sure to include the damage, license plate of the vehicle, and a picture of the driver.
- If there is a witness to the accident, ask them to wait for the police to arrive so they can give a statement. If they cannot wait, ask if you can take a picture of their identification and then include a picture of them holding their identification that you can read.
- Once the police arrive, make a statement as to how the accident occurred. Ensure that the police talk to the witness and takes their statement as well. If the witness left prior to the police arrival, show the police officer a picture of the witness and their identification, making sure that, on the police report, they are noted as a witness that had to leave before his arrival.
- If you are injured, never refuse medical treatment by rescue personnel. Be transported by rescue to the nearest hospital to get medical treatment.
If the police are unable to respond and you or the other driver need to leave, you have two options:
- You and the other driver can agree to follow each other and meet at the police department to make a report.
- If you are not going to meet at the police department to make a report, you should exchange the following information to include a copy of their license, motor vehicle registration, insurance card, a picture of their license plate, and a picture of the other driver. Remember, you should have documented photos of the scene of the accident and damages to vehicles as well.
I’m not sure if I have a case.
Many personal injury cases are complex, so consider hiring a personal injury attorney like Rob Levine. We will do our best to investigate, obtain the facts, and help you understand your options. At Rob Levine Law, we do not charge for consultations.
What damages can I be compensated for?
If you are a victim of a bus accident, you are entitled to recover the same damages as any other personal injury case, to include: lost wages, medical bills, pain & suffering, property damage, out of pocket expenses, scarring, compensation for any permanent injury, and compensation for any future medical costs.
What happens if I do not feel pain at the scene of the accident?
You must see a healthcare professional right after your accident, whether or not you feel pain. Your body’s natural adrenaline will likely kick in, meaning your body is in initial shock. Once that wears off, you will be able to feel the effects of your injuries.
What is a personal injury case?
A personal injury case is when you have suffered harm as a result of another person or entity’s negligence. Negligence is defined as duty, breach, causation, and damages. Duty means that the defendant owed you a duty or care as a reasonably prudent person (RPP) under the circumstances in the shoes the defendant was in. Breach means that they violated the RPP standard and put you in a position of peril, having both actual or constructive notice as well as the opportunity to cure the defect. Causation is the link between their breach of the standard of care and the injury or damages that you have suffered. That link must be reasonably foreseeable and there should not be another intervening or superseding cause that caused your damages. Damages are the harm that you suffered directly caused by the defendant’s breach of the standard of care. If you meet those four elements, you have shown the defendant is negligent and you have a viable personal injury case.
What are the most common factors of truck accidents?
A collision between a commercial vehicle and a car could likely be caused by malfunctioning equipment on the truck, driver negligence, or negligence on behalf of the trucking company. There are also larger blind spots on commercial vehicles, which means they are unable to respond to certain hazards with the same reaction time as a car. Other factors could include:
- Excessive driving hours causing the truck driver to be driving to the point of exhaustion.
- Unrealistic schedules resulting in the driver taking unnecessary risks and driving at unnecessary speeds.
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Notable Case Results
$300,000
Client was driving on Douglas Avenue in North Providence. Defendant failed to stop and t bone our client. Our client was rushed to Fatima Hospital. Suffering from shoulder pain which needed surgery. The defendants insurance company tried to say the injuries were pre-existing but our firm was able to get medical opinions that proved the injury was from the accident. Allowing us to settle the file.
$125,000
Client was getting off of 95 near Roger Williams Zoo when the defendant tried switching lanes hitting the rear and side of our clients car. Client had several pre exisiting health issues and the insurance companied denied her injuries. Our attorney was able to relate the injuries were caused by the accident by getting older medical records.
When I searched online for an attorney to handle my claim with the military I was lucky to find Rob Levine.
They have proven to be very knowledgeable in personal injury law and are willing to fight for you, as they did so very effectively. I am so glad they picked up the phone when I called and took my case. I really did appreciate their honesty and dedication to my case and the success we had.
James Hudson
Big shout out to Rob Levine & his Law firm family thx for everything you've done for me & my family.
Best firm for law services…. customer service is off the charts & they stay in touch with you though the whole process.
Cidalia D.
Thank you Rob, you and your team rock!
I have been a client of Rob Levines’ for 2 cases. Both cases, Rob’s talented, hard working, teams helped me win 🏆. I’m so happy and proud of all the people who helped me. I got really hurt, and they were there to listen, and support me. Thank you so much y’all.
Moe Adams
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