Bus Accident Lawyers in Los Angeles

Although buses are one of the safest forms of transportation and are ubiquitous in Los Angeles, bus accident lawyers are necessary when disaster strikes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that bus accidents represented 0.5 percent of fatal accidents in 2006; about two-thirds of these were collisions with other vehicles, while one-third were pedestrian accidents or rollover and roof crush-related.

But when buses do get into accidents, like the fatal Colusa Casino Tour Bus Crash on October 5, 2008, the results can be catastrophic, because schools, bus companies, and transit agencies routinely offer no seat belts or other safety precautions at all. Passengers must simply trust their luck — and the bus driver — to keep them out of a serious bus accident.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, contact Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, Los Angeles bus accident lawyers. Our law firm offers free consultations. call 888-498-6487

How Our Bus Accident Attorneys Can Help You

Bus accidents cause devastating injuries to the victims involved.  Victims who are injured in these crashes will be forced to handle an array of problems they have likely never faced before, including physically recovering from their injuries, paying for their medical bills, and finding a way to return to their normal lives.  

To schedule a free consultation with our bus accident attorneys, call 888-498-6487, or reach out to us at our website.  Our bus accident attorneys are knowledgeable and compassionate.  Their experience working with clients injured in these cases has helped them develop a deep understanding of how to handle these cases.  

If you retain our attorneys to represent you, they will waste no time in investigating your case.  That investigation will include: 

1. Acquiring your medical records from the relevant healthcare providers; 
2. Locating, contacting, and interviewing the witnesses to the crash; 
3. Finding all of the responsible parties to ensure they pay you the money they owe; and 
4. Locate and acquire all of the physical evidence of the crash.  

The Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP Los Angeles personal injury attorneys are leaders in complex consumer litigation, including cases involving automotive defects and bus accidents, pharmaceutical litigation, and very serious injuries. Our partners have been repeatedly nominated as Trial Lawyers of the Year, Most Influential Attorneys, and for other professional awards, and regularly speak and write about trial practice to other attorneys.

To learn more about bus accidents across the state, please visit our California bus accident attorney page for more details.

How Safe Are Buses?

Although buses are one of the safest forms of transportation and are common in Los Angeles, bus accident lawyers are necessary when disaster strikes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), bus accidents represented 0.4 percent of fatal accidents in 2022. In 2022, there were 97 fatal school bus accidents in the U.S., resulting in 104 fatalities.

When buses do get into accidents, the results can be catastrophic. This is because schools, bus companies, and transit agencies routinely do not have seat belts or other safety precautions. Passengers must simply trust their luck — and the bus driver — to keep them out of a serious bus accident.

The lack of standard safety measures is just part of what makes buses a potential hazard. Buses hit between 90 and 100 pedestrians in the United States every year, according to the NHTSA. This, in part, is because their routes take them to curbs and through pedestrian-dense areas. Bus drivers also tend to have poor visibility because of their vehicles’ large size and limited rear view. Additionally, buses’ extremely heavy weight — more than 10,000 pounds — means they’re much more likely to have a deadly rollover accident than a passenger car. If bus drivers or others on the road don’t take enough care, a group outing or everyday commute can turn into a massive tragedy.

Most Common Causes of Bus Crashes

Bus crashes share common causes with other vehicular accidents, but differ from ordinary motor vehicle collisions in that bus accidents often cause significantly more severe injuries.  The most common causes of bus accidents are discussed in this section.

Driver Error

Like an automotive collision, bus crashes can be caused by any number of decisions that a driver makes while on the road.  The driver error may stem from the bus driver or another motorist whose negligent behavior forces the bus driver to attempt to take defensive action while driving the bus.  These causes include: 

1. Distracted Driving: a bus driver who is texting, eating, or interacting with bus passengers.
2. Driver Fatigue: bus drivers often work long shifts that may start in the early morning hours or go late into the evening.  This fatigue builds up over time and increases the risk of a crash.
3. Speeding & Aggressive Driving: buses do not stop on a dime, and speeding will increase the risk of a bus crash.
4. Driving Under the Influence: bus drivers, like any other operator of public transportation, are expected to be fully sober when driving a bus because of the risks posed by the bus to the passengers and other motorists.
5. Inadequate Training: California law requires bus drivers to obtain a CDL with a P endorsement.  Acquiring a CDL takes time and training because inadequately trained bus drivers pose enormous dangers to passengers and other motorists.

Vehicular Malfunctions

Like any other car, truck, or piece of machinery, buses will undergo ordinary wear and tear and must be serviced to ensure they can be safely operated on Los Angeles streets.  Failing to maintain them can cause vehicular malfunctions with deadly results.  The most common causes of bus crashes relating to the vehicle itself include: 

1. Brake failures due to malfunctioning or worn-out brakes; 
2. Tire failures and blowouts; 
3. Steering system issues; 
4. Faulty lights or signals, such as defective headlights, taillights, or turn signals; or 
5. Mechanical failures in the engine or transmission.

This multitude of vehicular failures poses a grave danger to other motorists and further emphasizes the need for regular maintenance of the buses.  

Road & Environmental Conditions

The conditions of the road and the environment have a huge impact on the safety of a bus.  While public transportation is necessary in the rain, fog, snow, and sun, these conditions play a significant role in causing bus accidents.  The most common road and environmental factors that cause or contribute to bus accidents are:

1. Poor Road Conditions: potholes, uneven pavement, and poorly marked roads are all dangers to public safety that increase the risk of bus accidents and every other kind of traffic accident.  Cordova v. City of Los Angeles says that public entities–such as the City of Los Angeles–can be held financially liable if they either create a dangerous condition on their property or fail to remedy a dangerous condition on their property.
2. Weather Conditions: Though Los Angeles is not known for heavy snow or ice, conditions like these (as well as rain and fog) increase the risk of bus accidents. 
3. Traffic Congestion: Dense urban traffic increases the risk of bus accidents. 
4. Construction Zones: Construction work is a necessity of modern life, but that does not change the fact that construction zones may require sudden lane shifts and require clear signage to prevent accidents and injuries.  

Common Types of Bus Accidents

Bus accidents are categorized based on a few different factors: (1) the nature of the collision, (2) the parties involved, & (3) the factors contributing to the bus accident. 

Single-Vehicle Bus Accidents

Single-vehicle accidents typically fall into three categories: 

1. Rollovers, in which the bus’s high center of gravity causes it to rollover when it takes a sharp turn at a high speed. 
2. Run-Off-Road accidents, which are when the bus veers off the roadway, and 
3. Bus Fires, which are fire in the bus due to mechanical failures, fuel leaks, or electrical issues
4. Pedestrian strikes – unfortunately, large vehicles such as buses can cause devastating injury to pedestrians or bicyclists. 

Passenger-Related Accidents

Bus passenger accidents can occur when the bus stops suddenly, swerves, or–if the bus crashes–when the passenger is ejected from the bus.  Ejection-related accidents are particularly common when the passenger is not restrained in the bus.  

Work-Related & School Bus Accidents

Work-related bus accidents are categorized based on the route that the bus takes and who its passengers are.  For example:

1. School bus accidents involve students who are being transported to and from schools.
2. Transit bus accidents are bus accidents that involve a public transportation vehicle and tend to occur in congested urban areas.
3. Finally, charter and tour bus accidents occur in privately-operated buses that carry their passengers over greater distances than either school or transit buses.  

What to Do After a Bus Accident in Los Angeles?

Get to Safety

The first thing to do after a bus accident is to get yourself and others to a safe place.  Get away from traffic and the wreckage left from the bus accident.  Call an ambulance for anyone who may need it.  

Call the Police

Once you are safe, call the police department to report the accident.  Unless there is a dire medical emergency, you must remain at the scene of the accident.  California law prohibits leaving the scene of an accident, and you could face criminal charges if you fail to abide by that law.

Get Witness Information

Speak with the other passengers on the bus and any other witnesses who are present once you reach a place of safety and are waiting for the police.  These people are witnesses to the accident whose testimony may be crucial to proving your case in court.  

Ideally, you should ask all of these people for:

1. Their names;
2. A phone number at which you can reach them; and
3. Their addresses (assuming they are willing to give them to you).

There will never be an easier time to track these witnesses down.  Some of these witnesses may be lost if this opportunity is not taken.  If possible, you should also get this information from the bus driver and any other motorists at the scene.  

Document the Accident

If you are able to take photos, videos, or notes on the bus accident, you should do so.  This documentation at the scene will be immensely helpful in any litigation that might result from the bus accident.  

Obtain Medical Treatment

You should immediately go see your trusted physician or other medical provider as soon as you are able to do so after the accident.  You should do this even if you feel completely fine from the accident because some injuries will not be felt immediately and may develop later.  Your healthcare provider will play two roles in this scenario.  

This visit to the doctor is important because it will document your injury and symptoms.  This documentation will be important to litigate your case and get you the full compensation you deserve.  Schedule follow-ups with your doctor to notate your progress and any latent injuries that were not detectable in the first visit.  

Do Not Make a Statement

After the accident, someone might reach out to you and request that you make a statement regarding the accident, what happened, or how you are feeling in the wake of it.  You should not make any statement about the subject to anyone until you have spoken with an attorney.  

Remember: you do not have to give a statement to anyone after the accident.  These same people might try to coerce you into making a statement, but it is your right not to speak with them until you have consulted with your trusted attorney.

Damages We Can Help You Recover After a Bus Accident

After being injured in a bus accident, you may be entitled to damages under California law.  These damages are financial compensation that must be paid to an injured person by the person, people, or entity responsible for their injury.

Under the law, damages are intended to make an injured person “whole,” meaning that the purpose of an award of damages is to put the injured person in as close to the place they would have been in had they not been injured.  Importantly, the only type of damages that are intended to punish the responsible party are punitive damages, and they are rarely awarded.  

California juries commonly award the following types of damages in bus accident cases: 

1. Medical Expenses: Damages are awarded to compensate an injured person for the medical expenses he or she incurred as a result of their injury.  These damages are awarded for the medical expenses incurred by the injured person in the past and those that they will incur in the future as a result of the injury.
2. Lost Wages: People injured in bus accidents are also entitled to receive damages for the wages they lost due to their injuries.  These damages compensate the injured person for the wages they have already lost as well as those that they will lose in the future due to their injury.  
3. Diminished Earning Capacity: Damages awarded for diminished earning capacity may sound similar to lost wages, but it differs slightly.  Lost wages are awarded for the wages that the person lost, but diminished earning capacity refers to the lost or decreased ability too earn wages as a result of the injury.
4. Pain & Suffering: Damages for pain and suffering are those damages awarded to compensate the injured person for the physical sensation of pain that he or she experienced due to the injury.  These damages also include hedonic damages as a subset of pain and suffering damages, compensating the person for their lost ability to enjoy their daily life.  
5. Punitive Damages: Punitive damages are awarded for the sole purpose of punishing a defendant’s conduct and are not compensatory in nature.  While an injured person is always entitled to the compensatory damages they can prove, they are never entitled to punitive damages even if they have sufficient evidence for the jury.  These damages are a question solely for the jury.  

Bus Accident Verdicts & Settlements

1. Doe vs. Bus Company $32,500,000
   A bus accident caused severe internal injuries to a minor.
2. Sims v. Mountain Area Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) $7,000,000
   Settlement of $7 million for severe traumatic brain injury sustained by plaintiff who was struck by a bus while crossing a street in Big Bear and struck her head on the pavement when she fell to the ground.
3. Cellamare v. Laidlaw $5,600,000
4. Heaven v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) $4,000,000
5. Staley vs. Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) $3,200,000
   Carolyn Staley, a 21-year-old UCLA student, was struck in an MTA Bus Accident. Brian Panish argued that the defendant (MTA) was responsible for the accident and his client’s significant injuries. Case Settled for $3,200,000.
6. Castillo & Perez vs. Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD) $1,500,000
   A bus turning at 2:00 a.m. in the rain hits pedestrians crossing. Castillo & Perez both suffered significant injuries due to the California bus accident. Attorney Brian Panish represented clients who received a $1,500,000 settlement.
7. Altman v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) $1,500,000
8. Pendegrass v. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) $1,250,000
9. Poulos v. Long Beach Transit (LBT) $1,200,000

To schedule a free consultation with one of our Los Angeles accident lawyers, please call us at (310) 928-6200.