Bus Accident Attorney in Birmingham

bus on highway

If you suffered an injury in a bus accident in Birmingham, Alabama, you may be facing a difficult recovery and wondering how you’re going to pay for your medical bills. Whether you were injured on a city bus or in a school bus accident, recovering compensation for your injuries is essential.

Filing a bus accident claim after suffering an injury in a crash can be a daunting experience, especially when you’re still recovering. That’s why you need the help of Attorney April H. Collins and the compassionate team at Collins Law, LLC. With over a decade of experience handling bus injury cases, Attorney Collins has the knowledge and experience necessary for a successful claim.

Contact our Birmingham bus accident law firm today for a free consultation. Attorney Collins and the rest of our team will review your case, go over the personal injury claims process with you, and explain your legal options for seeking compensation.

What Are the Benefits of Hiring a Birmingham, AL Bus Accident Attorney?

Hiring a Birmingham bus accident lawyer for your case has many benefits. For example, by hiring a local attorney, you’ll benefit from their local knowledge and experience, such as their prior successful results in cases involving MAX Transit accidents in Birmingham.

Your attorney will also assist you in all aspects of your bus accident lawsuit, from investigating the incident and filing your claim to negotiating with insurance companies and representing you at trial.

When you hire Attorney Collins and our team, you also gain the following benefits:

  • We work to reduce our clients’ accident-related medical bills after their cases are resolved.
  • We strive to help bus crash victims keep more of the compensation they win — and never take more money than our clients would.
  • We empower accident victims who feel marginalized and like they don’t have a voice by providing devoted representation and seeking the compensation they need.

Why Are Bus Accident Injury Claims So Complex?

Bus accidents can be more complex than other motor vehicle accidents for multiple reasons. The injuries victims suffer can be more severe, and there may be multiple liable parties. These aspects of bus accidents could impact your case in the following ways:

  • Severe Injuries – The size and weight of buses compared to other vehicles means being struck by one can cause more severe injuries. The more severe your injuries are, the longer it will take for you to heal and the more expensive your medical bills are likely to be. Your attorney may also hire a medical professional to provide expert testimony regarding the necessity of your medical treatments and the lasting impact of your injuries.
  • Multiple Liable Parties – In many bus accidents, more than one party is liable for your injuries. The more liable parties there are, the longer your case will likely take, as this will likely complicate the investigation process. However, having more liable parties can also counter the issue of a single liable party having an insurance policy limit that doesn’t fully cover your expenses and losses.

What Should You Do After a Bus Accident?

After a bus accident in Birmingham, there are a few critical steps you should take to improve your health and your chances of a successful lawsuit:

  • Continue Medical Treatment – Following up with your medical treatment is key for several reasons. Doing so will reduce the long-term impact of your injury and make it harder for the insurance company to claim that your injuries aren’t as severe as you say. You also shouldn’t worry about the cost of this treatment, as seeking compensation for the cost is part of your lawsuit.
  • Keep Your Medical Bills – Collect all medical bills or invoices you receive relating to your bus accident injury. Your attorney will use these bills when calculating your economic losses, and your final settlement or award may not cover any bills you leave out.
  • Record Your Memory of the Crash – Before you forget the details of the accident, write down everything you remember in a journal. A fully litigated bus accident case can take a year or more to conclude, and having notes will help you recall what happened leading up to, during, and immediately after the crash.
  • Avoid Providing a Statement – At some point, insurance adjusters may ask you for a statement about the incident. You should avoid speaking to them until after consulting a Birmingham bus accident attorney who can coach you through what to say. The insurance adjusters are trying to get you to say something that will invalidate your compensation claim or justify them offering a lower settlement.
  • Contact a Bus Accident Lawyer – The most important thing you can do after an injury is to reach out to a bus accident lawyer in Birmingham. When you hire Attorney Collins, she and her team will handle everything related to your case so you can focus on your recovery.

Who Could Be Held Responsible for a Bus Accident?

Multiple parties could be responsible for the injuries you sustained in the bus accident, including the following:

  • Bus Drivers – Bus driver negligence is a leading cause of bus accidents. If you can prove the driver was speeding or distracted while driving, that will help your case.
  • Bus Passengers – Sometimes, passengers can cause accidents by distracting the driver.
  • Bus Companies – The company that owns or operates the bus may be liable for the actions of its employees or if its business practices contributed to the crash.
  • Bus Manufacturers – The manufacturer could be liable if a defective part contributed to the bus accident.
  • Maintenance Providers – If poor maintenance contributed to the bus accident, the maintenance provider could be liable.
  • Other Motorists – Other drivers sometimes contribute to bus accidents by cutting the bus off or running into it.

Some of the bus accident compensation you could recover through your lawsuit includes:

  • Medical expenses, including surgeries, prescription medications, medical treatments, and physical therapy
  • Wages you lost while recovering from your injuries
  • Your loss of future earning potential if your injuries are permanent
  • Physical pain and emotional suffering your injuries cause
  • Repairing or replacing damaged or lost property

Alabama follows the common law rule of contributory negligence, which states that a person cannot recover compensation through a personal injury lawsuit if they are partly at fault. For this reason, it’s essential that you work with an attorney who can push back against claims that you contributed to the accident in any way.

Under Alabama’s personal injury statute of limitations, victims have two years to file their lawsuits for compensation after a bus accident. Failure to file your claim within this period may result in the courts barring you from seeking compensation for your injuries. Additionally, if a government agency operated the bus in question, you may have less time to file, and it may involve a different process. A bus accident lawyer like Attorney Collins can determine which statutory deadline applies and assist you with filing your claim on time.

Buses in Birmingham may get into several different kinds of accidents. The following are some of the most common:

  • Rear-End Collisions – The bus may rear-end another vehicle if it doesn’t stop in time or may cause another vehicle to rear-end it if it stops suddenly.
  • Head-On Collisions – When the bus or another vehicle crosses the center line, it can lead to a head-on collision that results in severe injuries.
  • T-Bone Collisions – If the bus fails to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic when turning, or if another vehicle fails to yield to the bus, it can result in a T-bone collision.
  • Pedestrian Accidents – Since buses often operate in areas with high pedestrian traffic, like Birmingham, accidents involving buses and pedestrians are common.

Whether you were struck by the bus as a pedestrian or while in another vehicle, or you were a passenger on the bus, you can sustain serious injuries from a collision. Some of the possible injuries include the following:

  • Traumatic Brain Injuries – TBIs occur when the brain hits the inside of the skull after an impact, causing internal bleeding and swelling. These injuries can range from mild concussions to lifelong physical and cognitive impairment.
  • Spinal Cord Injuries – A heavy impact can cause spinal discs to slip, pinching or severing the spinal cord and leading to temporary or permanent paralysis.
  • Broken Bones – You can break or fracture various bones during a vehicle collision.
  • Lacerations – You can suffer from lacerations that require stitches due to broken glass and other sharp objects.
  • Internal Injuries – Some of the most dangerous injuries are internal injuries because their symptoms may not show up immediately, leading to victims believing they are unharmed.

Contact a Birmingham, AL Bus Accident Attorney Today

If you were injured in a Birmingham, AL bus accident, contact Collins Law today for a free, no-obligation consultation. We will evaluate your case, explain your legal options for seeking compensation, and provide an initial estimate of what your claim could be worth.