If you get involved in a bus accident in San Jose, you may not know where to turn for help that you can count on during the recovery process. Jacoby & Meyers is a powerful and reputable personal injury law firm that represents bus accident victims and their families in San Jose.
We can provide the expertise, compassion and resources you need to pick up the pieces and rebuild your life after a devastating bus accident. Learn more about how we can help you during a free consultation in San Jose. Contact us 24/7.
Why Choose Us as Your San Jose Bus Accident Attorneys?
- We always put our clients first. We are Californians advocating for Californians; we take pride in handling every case with the same level of care, big or small.
- Our San Jose personal injury lawyers have a 99 percent success rate. We have collected over $2 billion for our clients, including $1.5 million in an auto vs. bus accident case.
- You won’t pay your bus accident attorney unless we win your case. We operate on a contingency fee basis for all bus accident claims.
The Importance of Hiring a Bus Accident Attorney
A bus accident can cause severe physical injuries that may require extensive medical treatment and result in lost wages. As a bus accident victim in San Jose, you deserve qualified legal representation to help you seek the compensation you deserve from a bus company or another at-fault party.
An attorney will have the experience you need to go up against any defendant – and powerful insurance providers – and recover fair compensation for your losses. You do not have to deal with legal processes such as gathering evidence or proving fault on your own. A local lawyer can guide you through your claim to ensure your physical, emotional and financial recovery.
Steps to Take After a Bus Accident in San Jose
If you are riding a bus in San Jose when it crashes, you need to know what to do as an injured passenger to protect your legal rights. The bus company and its insurance provider will not want what is best for you. You must take your future into your own hands. If you can, take the following steps to protect yourself and build a strong claim:
- Check yourself and others for injuries. If anyone has been injured, make sure the bus driver or someone else calls the police.
- Get medical attention immediately for any injuries you have suffered. Do not delay medical care, as this could give an insurance company a reason to deny your claim.
- Write down the names of the bus driver, all other bus passengers, the other driver involved (if applicable) and any eyewitnesses.
- While the events are still fresh in your mind, write down a detailed description of what happened. Include a description of your injuries.
- Before you leave the scene of the crash, take pictures using your cell phone for your own records. Capture any important details, including property damage.
Once you have seen a doctor and gathered all the information you can about your bus accident, bring your case details to a personal injury attorney in San Jose who specializes in bus accident cases. An attorney can take over your claim to ensure that you avoid common mistakes and optimize your odds of a positive case outcome as much as possible.
Who Is Liable for a Bus Accident in San Jose?
Bus accident cases are unique compared to typical car crashes in San Jose. Rather than only involving two motor vehicle drivers, a bus accident can involve the bus driver, the bus company or owner, the bus manufacturer, a maintenance crew, and possibly an outside driver.
Determining liability, or who is financially responsible for the bus accident, will require an in-depth investigation into the cause of the crash. In many cases, a bus company can be held liable either directly or vicariously. The doctrine of vicarious liability holds employers responsible for the negligence and wrongful acts of their employees.
If the bus driver is to blame for a crash, the company or entity he or she works for can be held responsible. Depending on the bus, this could be a private bus company such as Greyhound or the City of San Jose if the crash involved a city bus (e.g., buses owned by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority).
Common Causes of Bus Accidents
California is a fault state, meaning the person or party responsible for a bus accident can be made to pay for all victims’ damages. Naming the liable party or parties in your bus accident case in San Jose requires you to first determine the cause of the crash.
Top causes of San Jose bus accidents include:
- Bus driver negligence: careless or reckless errors committed by the operator of the bus, such as driving while distracted, fatigued or impaired or violating traffic laws (e.g., speeding, running red lights or making unsafe lane changes).
- Bus company negligence: a lack of care by the owner of the bus, such as inadequate fleet maintenance, poor bus driver hiring and training practices, or violations of federal passenger carrier laws.
- Bus or road defects: defects present in the bus itself, such as defective brakes that fail and result in an accident, or roadway hazards such as potholes and dangerous construction zones can also cause bus accidents.
An attorney from Jacoby & Meyers can thoroughly investigate your San Jose bus crash to identify who is liable. Then, we can gather evidence to hold them responsible for the various losses you have suffered because of the accident.
Contact Our San Jose Bus Accident Lawyers Today
If you or someone you love was recently injured in a bus accident in San Jose or the surrounding area, you may be eligible for compensation to help you get back on your feet. Jacoby & Meyers is dedicated to helping accident victims in California. Find out how we can help you get back to the life you love.
During a free consultation, we will evaluate your case and give you the information you need to proceed with a claim to hold someone accountable for your bus accident. We care about our clients and work hard to ensure they have everything they need, from top-tier medical care to legal expertise in bus accident law.
Contact us today to schedule a free case review. Call our San Jose law office at (408) 341-6883 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our local law office is located at Plaza West, 3031 Tisch Way #110, San Jose, CA 95128.