Victims injured in a bus accident are entitled to receive compensation for any injuries that they suffer. A key, though, to getting paid for your injuries is to contact an experienced personal injury attorney for help. Please know that the lawyers at Otorowski Morrow & Golden, PLLC have over 120 years of combined experience representing injured parties. They are skilled at handling bus accident matters and stand ready to help.
Bus Accidents Can and Do Happen
The scene of the accident was in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. The date was April 22, 2020. The result was a tragic death involving a bus that collided with a pedestrian.
At about 5:40 p.m. on the date in question, a man tried to flag down a King County Metro bus. Witnesses say the man eventually stumbled in his attempt and fell into the street. The bus soon collided with the man, killing him.
According to a police statement, the driver of the bus tried to avoid the collision but couldn’t. The man, who became trapped under the bus, died at the scene of the accident. There was no evidence that the bus driver was impaired in any way.
The unfortunate reality is that collisions involving buses and pedestrians do take place in Washington State. Further, as the above accident shows, injuries can grow quite severe and even involve death. Most of the accidents that occur involve a bus hitting a pedestrian at a bus stop. The buses involved in these incidents can include:
- School buses,
- Commuter buses,
- City transit buses, and even
- Tour buses.
Drivers Have a Duty of Care
Washington law states that bus drivers have a duty to yield to pedestrians on sidewalks and at bus stops. Also, vehicles must stop at intersections to let pedestrians cross the road within a marked or unmarked crosswalk. A bus driver is said to be negligent if he/she fails to uphold this duty.
“Negligence” is simply a legal term which means that a person (here, the bus driver) is liable in a personal injury accident. Liability means the bus driver, or the company for who he/she works for, has to compensate the injured victim for any injuries that the person suffers. The negligent party also has to pay a victim for any pain and suffering that he/she experiences.
How Can Pedestrians Help Protect Themselves?
The most effective way that pedestrians can ensure their safety at a bus stop is for them to pay attention. People waiting for a bus are often consumed with:
- engaging in conversation with other passengers,
- talking on the phone,
- searching their smart phones,
- listening to music,
- reading a book, and/or
- eating.
No matter the activity a person is engaged in, the mere act of being engaged means that the person is not paying attention to an approaching vehicle. By simply being alert and aware at a bus stop, a passenger helps protect his/her safety in enormous ways.
Granted, sometimes a bus driver causes an accident because of drug or alcohol use. Most pedestrians, however, can’t control this. They can control being more aware of their surroundings while waiting for a bus to pick them up.
Contact Our Law Firm for Help
Pedestrians injured by a bus collision will need the help of an experienced personal injury attorney to get the compensation they deserve. A skilled lawyer can help a victim:
- gather evidence,
- establish negligence,
- file an insurance claim,
- negotiate with insurance adjusters, and
- if necessary, file a lawsuit.
The lawyers at our firm are skilled in their representation and tireless in their efforts. They offer a free consultation and always work to ensure that their clients are informed along every step of a case. Do yourself a favor and contact them now for the legal support that makes all the difference.