School Bus Accidents: How To Determine Who Is Liable

School Bus Accidents: How To Determine Who Is Liable

Like other road collisions all over the United States, school bus accidents can happen anytime due to several circumstances. These can include driver distraction, mechanical failure, or human errors such as failure to obey traffic signs and speeding. Yet, if there’s one thing that makes these accidents worrisome and scary is the injuries that the bus’s young passengers may sustain as a result thereof.  

Thankfully, if your child has been injured in a school bus accident, you may be eligible to file a claim to recover compensation. But before you can do that, you need to establish the liability of certain parties.  

In this post, you’ll learn how to determine who is liable for school bus accidents. Keep on reading to learn more.

  1. Work With A School Bus Accident Lawyer  

Unless you’re a certified legal professional, you need to hire an experienced school bus accident lawyer to help you identify the party or parties liable for what happened. 

A school bus accident attorney is familiar with personal injury laws and has encountered many negligence cases prior. They can help you hold the alleged at-fault party or parties accountable for your child’s injuries.  

Moreover, a reliable legal professional can also review the circumstances of your case and advise you on the next steps to take to establish the liability of the responsible party or parties.  

So, if your child sustained injuries while riding on a bus, contact a school bus accident lawyer Florida or wherever you may be to help you with your case. Given their experience, expertise, and skills in injury-related cases, they know exactly what to do to help determine who is at fault for the school bus accident.  

  1. Know The Parties Who May Be Liable In School Bus Accidents  

To find out who is indeed liable for the school bus accident, you need to familiarize yourself with the parties who may have liability for what happened. Unlike a regular car accident, multiple parties can be held accountable for a school bus accident. These can include: 

  • School

It’s essential to know that schools have a duty to provide care to children under their supervision during the school day. 

Generally, the school’s duty of care applies to situations such as transportation from and to school and school-organized trips. In that case, the school should ensure that the school buses are appropriately inspected and maintained. 

Plus, the school must ensure that the bus drivers are adequately trained before being allowed to be behind the steering wheel. But, when this standard of care isn’t met, which causes the bus accident, the school may be named as a defendant in an injury case.  

  • Bus Company

If the school outsources certain school bus transportation services to a third-party bus company, the latter will be responsible for taking care of the students while riding on their buses. Hence, if they fail to exercise that duty of care, they may also be held accountable for the injuries sustained by the students in a school bus accident. 

For example, if a third-party bus company has an employee who performs unsafe driving behavior, they’ll be responsible for the negligent acts of their driver.  

  • Other Parties Liable

Aside from the ones mentioned above, other parties may also be held accountable for the school bus accidents. For example, if a bus or parts manufacturing company provides a defective product that causes the accident, they may incur liability. 

Another party who may be held responsible for the accident is other drivers who were negligent on the road. 

Lastly, if the unsafe road conditions caused the collision, the municipalities and private property owners responsible for maintaining safe roads may be held accountable as well.  

School Bus Accidents: How To Determine Who Is Liable
school bus traffic accident damage ems evacuation of children
  1. Gather Enough Pieces Of Evidence  

Knowing the parties who may be liable for school bus accidents isn’t sufficient to receive compensation for your child’s injuries. That said, you need to start the evidence-collection process as quickly as possible to support your injury claim.  

Generally, a personal injury claim has a higher chance of winning if you can present valuable pieces of evidence to prove that the other party or parties is negligent and should be held liable for the accident. Thus, if you’re filing a case to protect your injured child, you have to be ready with the evidence including the following: 

  • Official police reports; 
  • Surveillance footage, if available; 
  • Written statements of witnesses; 
  • Photographs of the accident scene, preferably from all angles; 
  • Pictures of the injuries sustained by the student concerned; 
  • Expert testimonies, if necessary; and
  • Copy of medical bills and other related expenses.  

Indeed, many pieces of evidence are used to determine who is liable successfully. Make sure to prepare all these things when you decide to seek legal assistance to ensure a favorable outcome for your case.  

Conclusion  

School bus accidents don’t always happen. But if they do, they can result in severe injuries and the like for your child. 

Unfortunately, dealing with the legal aspect of these accidents can be tricky because of the potential parties who can be held accountable for what happened. However, by keeping the information mentioned above in mind, you’ll know exactly how to determine who is liable for the school bus accident. 

Lastly, the more knowledgeable you are, the higher your chances of receiving the compensation your child deserves.  

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