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Bus Accidents

Bus Accident Lawyers in Chicago, IL

Bus Accident

Crucial, yet deferred bus maintenance or a severe lapse in judgment on the part of a bus driver can result in the injuries of innocent passengers, pedestrians, and fellow drivers. At Budin Law, our team of dedicated Chicago bus accident attorneys has successfully received compensation for bus accident victims in the Chicago area for more than 25 years. If you or a loved have been hurt because of a bus driver’s carelessness, contact us today for your free consultation. There’s no fee unless we get you the just compensation that you deserve. How long do you have to file a bus accident lawsuit in Chicago? Every state in the U.S. governs personal injury laws. Each state also has a timeline for how long an injured party can file a lawsuit. This is called a statute of limitations. In Illinois, persons injured in an accident have two years to file a lawsuit for personal injury claims. For property damage you’ve sustained in a bus accident, you have five years to file a claim. It’s vital that injured persons do not wait too long to file a claim with the assistance of a team of experienced bus accident lawyers in Chicago. The insurance companies will try to pressure accident victims into settling the claim for peanuts. Why are bus accidents so dangerous? Generally, a bus is defined under the law as a vehicle that can transport ten or more passengers, not including the driver of the bus. Bus drivers are considered operators who carry the general public, and so they are referred to as “common carriers” in Illinois law. Since bus drivers are common carriers, they are held to much higher standards than a regular driver of a car. Bus drivers have to operate at the highest standard of care, and they must take precautions to ensure the safety of their passengers and fellow drivers. But in spite of these standards and precautions, bus accidents cause severe injuries and sometimes the deaths of innocent passengers.

In many cases, the accident is the fault of the bus driver. Several people are often injured at once, and they can experience massive medical bills, disabilities, painful injuries, and financial hardship as a result of driver’s negligence. Budin Chicago bus accident law firm obtained 4 million dollars in compensation for a tragic, wrongful death lawsuit involving a bus accident.

More than 11,000 bus accidents occur in the U.S. every year, and up to 43,000 people are injured in yearly bus accidents. Tragically, the majority of bus accident claims involve children being transported on school buses. 40% of all fatal bus crashes involve school buses.

What will a Chicago bus accident attorney do for a personal injury case?

To get compensation for property damage, pain and suffering, medical bills, and lost wages, a personal injury attorney will need to establish negligence on the part of the bus driver. Under Illinois personal injury law, the concept of negligence involves someone having a duty of care and then breaching that duty.  A bus driver has a duty of care for the safety of their passengers and other people on the road. When the bus driver violates that duty by driving recklessly or failing to take other reasonable precautions for safety, they have breached that duty of care, and are negligent.

Proving negligence is par for the course in personal injury law and bus accidents. A Chicago bus accident law firm will thoroughly investigate the case to establish negligence and obtain compensation for their client’s injuries. Your attorney will:

  • Obtain police reports and insurance records related to the crash
  • Interview witnesses
  • Collect medical bills and documents
  • Photograph the scene of the accident and damage
  • Obtain testimonies from accident, engineering, and medical experts

Chicago bus accident victims can collect several different types of damages under Illinois personal injury law. In some cases, the bus company may be responsible for paying out damages.

  • Pain and suffering
  • Medical bills
  • Lost wages
  • Future earnings

Chicago bus accident lawyers may try to obtain additional evidence and testimony from an accident victim’s employer. This can help establish if an accident victim may lose out on future wages because their injuries prevent them from working. Unfortunately, many accident victims are unable to return to the usual line of work after they sustain injuries in a bus accident. Injuries sustained in a bus crash can become chronic health issues that severely impair a person’s ability to earn wages.

The injuries a person gets in a bus accident can be serious enough to kill them, either at the scene of the crash or weeks after the fact. Serious injuries can cause severe complications that can ultimately lead to an accident victim’s untimely and tragic death. Our team of caring legal professionals at Budin Law has assisted families with getting compensation from insurance companies and negligent bus companies who’ve caused a loved one’s death.

Will a bus accident lawsuit always go to trial?

Most bus accident lawsuits will settle outside of a courtroom. Once our team of Chicago bus accident lawyers establishes negligence, we will attempt to negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. In most instances, the insurance will offer a fair settlement amount after some time of negotiating back and forth. If they won’t cooperate and provide our clients with the compensation they deserve and are entitled to under Chicago law, we will not hesitate to take the matter to trial.

The days and weeks after a bus accident are chaotic and painful. It’s easy for scared and hurting accident victims to believe the insurance company and take whatever settlement they are offered. But the insurance company will only offer you a fraction of what your case is actually worth.

Top Chicago Bus Accident Law Firm

If you’ve been hurt in a Chicago bus accident, our representatives are standing by to help you. Please contact the offices of Budin Law and schedule your free consultation today

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