Sustaining injuries in a Boise bus accident, such as one involving a Valley Regional Transit (VRT) vehicle, can be life-changing. Your injuries may result in permanent disability and leave you with significant medical bills and the inability to work. However, you can seek compensation for your losses with the help of an honest and reputable Boise bus accident lawyer.
Our law firm combines legal excellence with genuine compassion, as evidenced by over 400 5-star reviews from satisfied clients. Our motto, “Great Attorneys. Great People.,” reflects how we approach every case: we bring the legal know-how necessary to achieve the best results and the compassion to support you throughout the process. We are big enough to take on the deep-pocketed insurance companies, but small enough to care about you and your loved ones during this challenging time.
Reach out to Attorneys of Idaho to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation about your case. We’ll help you understand your legal options and walk you through what to expect. You pay nothing for us to start working on your lawsuit, and there are no fees unless we successfully resolve your matter.
Benefits of Hiring a Boise Attorney for Your Bus Accident Claim
Dealing with a legal claim is often stressful and overwhelming, even when you aren’t suffering from the effects of injuries. After sustaining serious injuries in a Boise bus accident, it’s best to leave dealing with the insurance companies and the courts to an attorney so you can focus on your recovery.
When you hire a lawyer from Attorneys of Idaho to handle your case, they can do the following:
- Conduct a thorough investigation to identify the at-fault parties
- Gather supporting evidence
- Calculate your damages
- Negotiate with insurance companies for maximum compensation
- Represent you in court if the insurer won’t agree to a settlement that truly covers your present and future needs
It’s also important to remember that the at-fault parties will have legal representation, so you’ll be at a severe disadvantage if you don’t have a lawyer of your own. Without a trustworthy attorney on your side, it can be easy to fall victim to the insurance company’s tactics that are designed to reduce the value of your case.
Reach out to us today to schedule your free, confidential case review with a bus accident attorney in Boise.
Why Are Bus Accident Injury Claims So Complex?
Bus accident injury claims are more complex than typical car accident claims, primarily due to the parties involved. For example, bus drivers can be government employees, which complicates the legal cases against them by adding additional rules that plaintiffs must adhere to.
These accidents may also involve several liable parties, including the bus driver, the bus company, and sometimes the bus manufacturer. When a bus collides with another vehicle, multiple injured parties are often involved, including the passengers on the bus at the time, making the situation more complicated.
Fortunately, we at Attorneys of Idaho are familiar with working with multiple parties — because we take a collaborative, team-based approach to every accident case we handle. By leveraging each of our lawyers’ unique strengths, experience, and insight, we are better positioned to achieve the best results for our clients. As we determine your expectations and goals early on in the process, we will work tirelessly to exceed them.
What to Do After a Bus Accident
After a VRT accident in Boise, or any other bus collision, taking the following steps can strengthen your case and protect your rights:
- Always follow up with your medical treatment until your doctor discharges you. This will make it harder for the insurance company to claim your injuries weren’t severe.
- Keep track of any medical or repair bills related to the bus accident.
- Document your recovery with photographs, videos, and journal entries.
- Write down everything you remember about the accident that caused your injuries.
- Avoid speaking to an insurance adjuster without your lawyer present. The insurance adjuster’s job is to get you to say something they can twist into meaning you were at fault for your injuries.
- Consult a bus accident lawyer early on in your case and let them handle everything on your behalf.
Who Could Be Held Responsible for a Bus Accident?
Several parties could be held responsible for a bus accident in Boise, including the following:
- Bus Drivers – Bus driver negligence, such as distracted driving and speeding, is one of the leading causes of accidents.
- Bus Companies – Companies that directly employ drivers may be held responsible for the actions of their employees.
- Bus Manufacturers – When mechanical failures caused by defective products result in crashes, the manufacturer could be liable.
- Bus Maintenance Providers – Mechanical failures may also result from poor bus maintenance, in which case the maintenance provider could be at fault.
- Other Motorists – Some crashes are caused by other drivers failing to yield the right of way or driving aggressively.
- Government Entities – Public bus companies are considered government entities, which can make holding them liable more challenging to try, but not impossible to win.
What Compensation Can I Expect to Recover in a Bus Accident Claim?
The compensation you can expect to recover through a bus accident lawsuit includes both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are the compensation sought for losses with objective value, while non-economic damages are those sought for losses with subjective, intangible value.
Economic Damages
The bus accident compensation you can seek for your economic losses may cover the following:
- Medical Expenses – Your past and future medical treatments, medical devices, surgeries, hospital stays, physical therapy, and prescription medications
- Lost Wages – The income you lost or will lose because of how your injuries affect your ability to work
- Property Damage – The cost of repairing or replacing your property that was damaged or lost in the bus accident, such as your car or truck
Non-Economic Damages
Obtaining fair compensation for your non-economic losses requires working with an injury lawyer who can understand what you’re going through and how your injuries will affect your future. These damages may cover the following:
- Pain and Suffering – The immediate pain you experienced due to your injuries and the long-term or chronic pain you will continue to experience
- Emotional Distress – Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other psychological impacts of your injuries or the accident itself
- Permanent Disability – The impact your permanent injuries have on your daily life
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life – The ways in which your injuries prevent you from engaging in activities you once enjoyed
Each accident claim is unique, so compensation will vary depending on specific factors. Our experienced legal team collaborates with a network of medical, financial, and vocational experts, enabling us to calculate the full value of your losses.
What if I Am Partly at Fault in a Bus Accident?
Your compensation could be at risk if you are partly at fault in a VRT or school bus accident. Idaho follows a modified comparative negligence rule. It prevents injury victims from recovering compensation if they were 50 percent or more at fault for the accident that caused them harm.
Additionally, even if you weren’t 50 percent or more at fault, the courts could reduce your awarded compensation by a percentage equal to your assigned degree of fault. This means if your damages are $100,000 and a jury finds you 25 percent at fault, you would only be able to recover $75,000 (25 percent less than $100,000).
What’s the key to overcoming insurance companies that try to shift more blame onto the accident victim? It’s proving that the other party was more at fault than you were. At Attorneys of Idaho, our experienced legal team knows how to present evidence that could minimize your share of responsibility while emphasizing the other party’s negligent actions. Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation case review.
How Long Do I Have to File a Bus Accident Claim in Idaho?
Under Idaho’s statute of limitations for personal injury cases, bus accident victims have two years to file a lawsuit against non-government defendants. However, if the defendant is a government entity or employee performing their job duties at the time of the accident, the deadline for filing your bus accident claim is only 180 days.
It’s vital that you hire a competent and qualified bus accident lawyer in Boise to handle your case and prevent you from missing these deadlines. Your lawyer will determine which deadline applies to your bus accident case and file your lawsuit against the appropriate parties.
Failing to file your bus injury lawsuit within the deadline will result in the courts preventing you from seeking the compensation you need for your bus injuries. Timing can make all the difference in the outcome of your case, so don’t wait — call Attorneys of Idaho today for your free, no-obligation case evaluation.
What Are Common Types of Bus Accidents?
The most common types of bus accidents seen on Boise roads include the following:
- Rear-End Collisions – These accidents may occur when the bus driver or another driver is distracted and fails to notice the stopped vehicle ahead.
- Head-On Collisions – These accidents could be due to intoxication, distracted driving, or fatigue that causes the vehicle to cross into another lane.
- Side-Impact Collisions – T-bone accidents occur when one vehicle collides with the side of another, such as if a turning vehicle fails to yield the right-of-way to oncoming traffic.
- Rollover Accidents – A rollover may occur if a bus turns too fast or another vehicle collides with a taller bus, such as a school bus, causing it to land on its side.
- Pedestrian Accidents – Buses may strike pedestrians crossing the road, leading to severe injuries.
What Injuries Can Someone Sustain in a Bus Accident?
The injuries you can sustain in a bus accident can range from mild to severe. The most severe injuries can result in permanent disability or death, making it crucial that you seek immediate medical attention to mitigate the worst effects.
Common bus accident injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Lacerations and burns causing scarring and disfigurement
- Broken bones
- Crushed limbs that may require amputation
- Internal organ damage
- Soft tissue injuries like whiplash
- Psychological injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Contact a Boise Bus Accident Lawyer Today
Were you or a loved one injured on a city bus in Boise, Idaho? If so, you need a bus accident law firm that has the experience and resources to fight for the compensation you deserve. At Attorneys of Idaho, we provide aggressive legal representation, but we bring something more: the personalized attention you deserve. As our client, you will never be seen as just another case number to us, but rather a friend and a neighbor who truly needs help.
Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation case review with a Boise bus accident attorney and discover the difference we can make on your road to recovery. You pay nothing for us to begin working on your case, and there are no fees unless we successfully resolve your lawsuit.