The buses you ride should be safe. If you’ve been injured in a bus accident, contact a Pennsylvania personal injury attorney immediately to discuss your legal rights.
A disproportionate number of Pennsylvania bus accidents have recently made the news, resulting in cause for concern not only for those who ride buses, but for owners of bus companies, bus drivers, and the Government entities that make and enforce safety regulations and rules. According to a recent study completed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, during 2005 to 2009, both inter-city and cross-country buses were involved in 5.6% of the bus and truck fatalities in the United States.
If you or someone in your family has recently been injured in a bus accident in Pennsylvania, you may be able to file a claim against the bus company to recover damages. The Pennsylvania bus accident attorneys at Console & Associates P.C. have 25 years of experience successfully representing the victims of Pennsylvania bus accidents and are eager to use their knowledge, experience, and resources to fight for you.
The study done by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that in 15 of the 19 cases they examined, bus drivers were at fault for the crash. Most of the accidents resulted from drivers failing to recognize the situations leading up to the crash in time to avoid the collision. These types of collisions can result from negligent drivers who aren’t paying attention to their surroundings, or who are distracted by cell phones. In this event, our Pennsylvania bus accident lawyers can help.
In addition, fatigued drivers who are not sufficiently alert while driving has become a real issue. While there are regulations pertaining to hours of service that drivers and bus companies must adhere to, sometimes the rules are not followed. Some safety advocacy groups claim that the rules are not stringent enough, and are pushing to decrease the number of hours a driver may be behind the wheel.
The study also found that equipment failure on the bus also contributed to some crashes, including brake failure, door latch defects, and electrical fires. In many situations, these problems could have been avoided with proper inspection and maintenance.
Other causes of bus accidents include traveling at high speeds or not obeying the rules of the road, pedestrians or bicyclists entering into the lane the bus is traveling in, and other vehicles are stopping in front of or veering in front of buses. A Pennsylvania bus accident lawyer can determine if someone’s negligence caused your bus accident.
The study concluded that 90% of bus crashes were the result of human factors, which means that it’s quite possible that someone is responsible for your injuries, including the medical bills, loss of wages, property damage, and pain and suffering that go along with it.
To get help with your personal injury accident, please call us at 215-225-2040 or select your city below. We cover all of Pennsylvania, so if you do not find your city, please call for specific information regarding the laws and regulations for your accident.
Look through our resource guide below for more information about the city where your accident occurred.
