Bronx Bus Accident Lawyers

The Bronx is a very diverse borough and the second most populous in the New York City area. Many buses service Bronx including Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bus Company vehicles, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) buses, Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) buses, and various charter and private bus companies.

This traffic volume results in crash involving buses throughout the county of Bronx, NY. Experienced Bronx bus accident lawyers help individuals recover from their injuries and receive just compensation.

Public bus routes and a map can be found on the MTA website. Private bus companies include Greyhound, Peter Pan, Megabus, and many small bus companies operating trips to Atlantic City or Mohegan Sun casinos.

Bronx Bus Accident Claims Attorneys

It is important for a plaintiff’s lawyer handling a Bronx bus accident litigation matter to obtain the following information in discovery:

• MV-104 report
• Video cameras inside the bus, dashboard cameras, and side cameras equipped on the bus (this will usually capture a video of the accident)
• Police Accident Report
• Bus Operator’s report about the accident
• Supervisor’s Accident Investigation Report
• SSD 1 Report
• Paddle Report for subject bus and bus driver
• Trip Sheet
• Fitness for Duty test results of the bus driver before the subject accident
• Bus Driver’s Claims Department file
• Copies of reports generated by the defendant bus company regarding the subject accident
• Bus Driver Qualification File.
• MCMS reports for the past 90 days before the accident.
• Schedule 4014 – current published schedule detailing scheduled stops.

There are many other vital pieces of information, including photographs and documentary evidence, that should be requested. Our firm requests over one hundred (100) items. It is also crucial to follow up on the requests until a meaningful response is provided by the defendant’s bus company. Very often the defense lawyers hired to represent the bus company will simply object or state they do not have the information demanded.

A strong plaintiff’s attorney representing a seriously injured individual against a bus company must demand the discovery in writing and exhaust all good faith efforts. If this still does not yield a substantive response, a motion should be made to have the court compel the production of discovery. This type of diligent follow through to very important as the comprehensive discovery demands often yield damaging information about the bus company’s safety practices. This discovery is very helpful for an injured person to win on the issue of liability at trial.

Bronx Bus and Auto Accident Statistics

Bus Passenger Accidents

Ways a Bus Owner or Operator Can be Negligent:

You have rights if you are in an MTA bus, a private tour bus, or another Bronx transit authority accident. Here are the most common reasons for negligence when involved in an accident as a passenger on a bus:

• Careless, reckless driving
• Drunken driving
• Improper lane change
• Unsafe stop
• Closing bus doors while passengers are entering or exiting the bus
• Stopping the bus in the middle of the street or another dangerous place to pick up or drop off passengers
• Driving long hours and becoming tired; falling asleep while driving
• Failing to check rearview or side-view mirrors
• Stopping short and violently jerking the bus, causing passengers to fall inside
• Failing to repair or maintain a bus
• Dangerous conditions inside the bus, such as a puddle, spill, or another tripping hazard
• New York City Transit Authority buses, MTA Buses, MABSTOA buses in Manhattan or the Bronx, and buses run by the MTA Bus Company are all public transportation buses.
• Private Tour Buses, including Greyhound, Trailways, Mega Bus, Bolt Bus, Wade Tours, and others
• Sightseeing Buses attract up to fifty million tourists in NYC each year, including double-decker buses including Big Bus New York, Gray Line, City Sightseeing, Skyline Sightseeing, THE RIDE, and Open Tour New York (Sightseeing buses are not regulated and do not have to report accidents to any NYC agency which is dangerous since there is little penalty for their negligence)
• School buses are a mix of public buses operated by the NYC Department of Education and private buses.

Injuries Following a Bronx Bus Accident

Whether a bus is involved in an accident with a passenger vehicle, a pedestrian, or a bicycle, the resulting injuries are often very serious due to the size and weight of the bus causing tremendous impact and force. According to a recent article, a typical New York City Transit bus weighs 31,000 pounds as a curb weight. Passenger weight that a bus can hold increases the weight up to 60,000 pounds. This is a tremendous force even when traveling at low speeds like 25 mph.

Proving Damages After a Bus Accident

The elements of damages a Bronx bus crash lawyer can prove at trial include:

Noneconomic damages:

• Conscious pain and suffering from the date of the accident up until the date of trial (past pain & suffering)
• Conscious pain and suffering from the date of trial and continuing for the rest of the person’s life (future pain & suffering)

Economic Damages:

• Lost Earnings (often proven with the help of experts like an economist who will project future earnings losses based on economic data and past salary)
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Loss of Household Services
• Future Cost of Medical Care
• Past Medical Expenses

The totality of all of the types of damages above can result in very significant compensation to the injured plaintiff if all aspects are properly pled and proven with the use of experts.

How to Prove Liability Against a Bus Company

One way to prove liability against a bus company is to ask the bus driver at his or her deposition about their training, including any classes they took, manuals they have to abide by in the course of their job, as well as driving or maintenance regulations with respect to the bus they operate. Once the bus driver establishes that there are rules, regulations, and/or guidelines in place, the driver will agree that the regulations must be followed. A deep understanding of the applicable rules, regulations, laws, and guidelines will allow the lawyer representing an injured victim to show the bus driver violated the rules he himself said were so important to follow. This is powerful evidence in front of a jury.

The same type of questioning can be done with industry custom and practice. A reasonably safe bus driver should know the bus driving industry’s customs and practices with respect to the safe operation of a bus in the City of New York County of Bronx. For example, one industry custom and practice in both truck and bus drivers are the Smith System of Driving which is briefly explained here. The Smith System of Driving briefly summarized has five (5) key principles:

• Aim High by looking 15 seconds or more into your future not solely at the vehicle directly in front of your bus
• Look out for the Big Picture including hazards
• Always keep your eyes moving without staring at one spot too long
• As a bus driver always leave yourself a way out; leave a cushion of space around your vehicle
• Always make sure others can see your vehicle. Use your signals.

Now if a bus driver testifies at a deposition that his conduct failed to abide by the above five rules that conduct is more likely to be deemed negligent conduct by a jury. Negligence is the lack of ordinary or reasonable care. Someone who violates a well-known industry standard like the Smith System which has been around since 1952 is more likely to be negligent.

Contact a Bronx Bus Accident Lawyer

F&A Bus Accident Attorneys maintain an office in the Bronx, NY at 20 E 205 St to cater to all types of personal injury matters. Our firm specializes in truck and bus accidents having settled numerous bus accident cases for significant results.

Just recently our firm settled a case where a private bus rear-ended a car in Manhattan. Although damage to both vehicles was minor, we were able to achieve a result of $550,000.00 on behalf of our client. In another case, our client was a passenger on an NYCTA bus that was sideswiped and rear-ended by a box truck. We coordinated the client’s medical care and she needed spinal fusion surgery.

Our firm also worked with experts including an economist to project lost earnings, medical expenses, and other economic damages. The matter was settled at a mediation for $1.2 million dollars.

Frekhtman & Associates Bronx Bus Accident Lawyers are experienced in litigating all types of bus crashes and injuries. With almost a combined 50 years of experience, we prepare each case carefully for trial. We work with liability experts, including bus safety engineers and accident reconstruction specialists. We also work closely with top medical doctors to coordinate our clients’ medical care. F&A never charges a fee unless we win your case first.

A Review From One of Our Bronx Bus Accident Clients

“good personal injury lawyers near bronx, ny. I got injured in a car accident all due to the negligence of the school bus driver who was driving recklessly.

I received serious injuries and was denied any help from insurance company. thanks to the Frekhtman & Associates. I got compensation for injuries and insurance company was held accountable too for denying compensation.I would surely recommend this law firm to anyone searching for an accident attorney near NY.” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – James Wilson on Google