Residents of Holiday may be familiar with the sight of tour buses and other such vehicles as tourists come to sunny Florida for vacation getaways. Unfortunately, more buses on the roads mean a higher potential for bus accidents. Accidents involving large buses have the potential to result in significant damage, due to the bulk of these vehicles and their ability to achieve high speeds on the highway.
If you suffered an injury in a bus collision, you may want to contact a Holiday bus accident lawyer as soon as possible. Injured people are often protected by the law and may have the right to pursue compensation for their damages from the at-fault bus driver or company. A skilled personal injury attorney may be able to help you discern which party is responsible for the accident and formulate a successful litigation strategy.
Non-Public Buses
Though many bus accident cases are brought against the driver of the bus involved in the crash, the company that owns the bus can also bear part or all of the liability in some instances. In addition to general insurance requirements, Florida Statutes §316.70 describes some of the specific safety standards to which companies must adhere.
A Holiday bus accident attorney could go over these requirements and check to ensure that the bus company involved in a wreck abided by legal regulations. If they did not, a dedicated lawyer may be able to pursue compensation from the company as well as the at-fault driver.
License Checks
Any employer that operates common carriers is required by law to check the license status of each of their drivers at least once per year. If the employer does not do so and an accident occurs involving a driver with a revoked license, that employer may be liable for damages.
Upkeep
Buses must be properly maintained and equipped. For example, a bus that has faulty or worn-out brakes must be repaired by its owner, or the owner may face penalties in court and be forced to pay compensation to any person injured in an accident caused by those brakes failing.
Comparative Fault in Holiday
The State of Florida uses a comparative fault theory of negligence, which affects how much compensation can be awarded to an injured person through a successful civil claim. In short, the total compensation available to the injured person would be lowered by whatever percentage of fault the court attributes to them for the accident in which they were injured.
For example, if an injured person were found to be 25 percent responsible for a bus accident in Holiday, their total recoverable damages would be reduced by 25 percent. Since establishing fault is so important to receive the maximum possible compensation, it is usually best for injured people to seek the services of a skilled Holiday bus accident lawyer who could work to uncover and present evidence of the bus driver’s fault.
Government-Owned Vehicles
Some bus accidents may involve buses that are owned and operated by municipal or state government agencies. According to Florida Statutes §768.28, government entities in Florida waive sovereign immunity in these cases. In other words, it is possible to sue a government agency if their employee was at fault for a bus crash and was on the job performing the course of their duties at the time the incident occurred.
Claims against the government can be tricky, as many of them involve specific laws that do not apply in other civil cases. For this reason, injured persons seeking to pursue such cases should speak with knowledgeable legal counsel for advice and direction on their situation.
Talk to a Holiday Bus Accident Attorney
When it comes to filing a claim for civil compensation, there is typically no time to lose. A Holiday bus accident lawyer could help you file your paperwork on time and compile the necessary evidence to pursue a successful result in court. If you are injured in a bus wreck recently, make calling a seasoned attorney a priority.