Who Is Liable If My Child Is Injured In A School Bus Accident?
Posted on March 24, 2022 in Bus Accidents
Thousands of children board school buses each day throughout the state of Oregon to get to and from school as well as various school activities. But what happens if your child is injured in an accident while they are on a school bus?
Here, we want to examine issues of liability concerning school bus accidents in this state. You may be entitled to various types of compensation for your child’s medical bills and pain and suffering losses.
There May be Several Liable Parties
There are thousands of school buses that cross Oregon roadways every day, and most of them get to and from their destinations safely. However, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation, there were 167 school buses involved in vehicle accidents during the latest reporting year of data available. Out of these reported incidents, there were more than 60 total injuries.
When a school bus accident occurs, there may be several liable parties. Like any other type of vehicle accident that occurs on the roadway, there will need to be an investigation into the incident to determine what happened. Some of the possible liable parties for a school bus accident include the following:
- Another negligent driver on the roadway
- A careless or negligent school bus driver
- The school or school district responsible for the bus
- A third-party overseeing bus maintenance
The vast majority of school bus accidents occur as a result of human error, whether that falls to the school bus driver or the driver of another vehicle. Some of the most common human errors that cause school bus accidents include the following:
- Driving while fatigued
- Distracted driving
- Driving well impaired by alcohol or drugs
- Failing to obey traffic laws
- Speeding
- Poor maintenance or faulty parts
- Insufficient training for bus operations
Additionally, school bus accidents can also occur as a result of bad road conditions as well as poor weather conditions.
Investigating the aftermath of a school bus accident is incredibly important. Law enforcement officials will come to the scene and conduct a preliminary investigation, but if you or your child has been injured in a bus accident, you need to reach out to a skilled attorney as soon as possible.
Contact a Bus Accident Lawyer Immediately
When you work with a school bus accident attorney in Oregon, you will have an advocate by your side looking out for your best interests. Whether your child was injured on a school bus or whether you were injured in another vehicle involved in the accident, you need to have an attorney with the resources necessary to fully investigate every aspect of the claim. This includes speaking to eyewitnesses, examining photographs taken at the scene, gathering video surveillance footage, obtaining school bus driver and maintenance records, and looking at the police report.
Ultimately, the goal is for an attorney to recover compensation for a crash victim’s medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering damages, property damages, and more. There is no set amount of compensation available to school bus crash victims in Oregon. The total amount of compensation a person receives will vary depending on the severity of the injuries, the level of property damage, whether or not there was any shared fault, and the documentable level of pain and suffering.
Call us today to speak with a Portland bus accident lawyer.