Several Injured in Los Angeles Bus Accident
A Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bus crashed into a car in Silver Lake in Los Angeles County, leaving several people injured. According to the Los Angeles Times, the accident took place on Glendale Boulevard in Silver Lake just after 6 pm on Friday.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, bus number 92 crashed into a car, leaving several passengers with injuries. At least 10 passengers suffered serious injuries, including one person who is reported to be in a critical condition. The remaining passengers suffered non life threatening injuries. According to the LA Fire Department, the bus driver lost control of the bus, and struck the middle divider before crashing into the car. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
You would assume that buses as a mode of transportation, are safer than passenger vehicles. In fact, for the most part, traveling in a larger, heavier vehicle with an elevated vantage point seems to be a lot safer than traveling in a passenger vehicle. Even so, every year, there are several bus accidents in California that injure hundreds of people.
Persons injured in a bus accident may be eligible for compensatory benefits, but this will depend on identifying all responsible parties in the accident. In most bus accident lawsuits, a California bus accident attorney will identify the bus company as responsible for the injuries. This may be because the company used a defective bus to transport passengers. “Defective” here could mean the use of malfunctioning parts like brakes, headlights, tires etc. A company may also be negligent in its poor hiring and supervision practices such as hiring drivers that may be under qualified, ill trained and have little experience.
If the cause of the bus accident is traced to malfunctioning parts because of poor maintenance work, then a bus maintenance company can also be named in a claim.
Bus accidents can also be traced to dangerous highways or roads that increase the risk of accidents. In such cases, local agencies in cities and counties who are responsible for proper design or maintenance of the road where the accident occurred, can also be named in a claim. In case of government-owned transit buses, state and local governments can also be liable in a bus accident claim. In case of school bus accidents, districts and school boards may be responsible for the negligence of bus driver.
The bus driver may be held accountable for injuries, although in such cases, it will be the bus driver’s employer as well as their insurer who will be held financially liable.
Bus manufacturers may be held liable in case of an accident caused by a bus containing defective parts.
Sometimes a bus trip may be part of a package offered by a tour service. In such cases, a Los Angeles bus accident lawyer will also name these operators in a claim or lawsuit.
The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of bus accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.
The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.