Were You Injured While Riding a Public City Bus?

Public transportation is one of the most important systems in any major city, reducing traffic and allowing people to move throughout a city at a reasonable cost. However, public transportation is still moving people from place to place, which always involves some danger.

When you ride on a public city bus, you place your trust in the bus and the driver to keep you safe while you are on board. If you suffer an injury while riding on a city bus, you may have grounds to file an injury claim, depending on the circumstances of the injury and the available evidence.

Filing a claim against a public bus means filing a claim against a municipal entity. While it is possible to file these claims, the process of filing is more complicated, so it is important to protect yourself and your rights by creating a strong legal strategy to seek fair compensation for your losses.

Giving notice

Filing a claim against a government entity typically requires giving the entity proper “notice of claim” within a specific number of days. The notice of claim declares that you suffered an injury and named the government entity as a defendant.

If you do not file the notice of claim within the specified time frame, then you may face difficulties moving forward with your case. Make sure to research the specific guidelines within your state to understand these issues fully.

Understand your rights

In many cases, the law views buses as “common carriers,” meaning that the owners and operators of the bus must meet a higher standard of safety. If you suffered an injury, it is important to understand your rights in order to defend them.

It is also important to understand the limitations of what you may or may not recover in compensation. In many instances, public entities may pay out damages to a victim, but the compensation may be capped. This means that there may be a hard limit to how much you can recover in compensation, regardless of the amount of your losses.

Is the manufacturer liable?

In some instances, an injury may occur because a part malfunctions or breaks, causing a collision or other harmful event. As you research the causes of your injuries, it is wise to consider all the potential parties who may have liability. If your injury occurred because of a mechanical failure or other technical issues, then you may need to file a completely different claim against the manufacturer of the part that malfunctioned.

As you build your legal strategy, keep in mind that these claims often run into complications. Be sure to use strong legal resources and guidance, to keep your rights and priorities secure and avoid pitfalls along the way to recovery.

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