The San Jose area continues to see an increase in traffic fatalities.

Bus accidents are among the most dangerous types of collisions. The size of a bus, when colliding with a motorcycle, car, bicycle, or pedestrian poses a high risk of causing serious injuries.

The road to recovery: Rebuilding your life after a bus accident

If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, you could be facing a long road to recovery. You may be unable to work and earn a living, leaving you in need of medical treatment to attempt to restore better health. You need compensation, but how much will you be offered in a settlement? Unfortunately, you may be shocked to be offered a low settlement — an amount that may not even cover your medical bills and lost wages. Insurance companies often bully victims into accepting pennies on the dollar for their injuries.

After a bus accident, you need to call The Swanson Law Group and talk to one of our top attorneys in San Jose about what happened. We take care of our clients and take down insurance companies, offering hope, health, and compensation.

We help you rebuild your life

When you work with one of our bus accident lawyers in San Jose, you have joined a winning team behind you. Our goal isn’t just to get you money; it’s to help you rebuild your life. We go far beyond what most law firms do, starting with helping you recover your health. When you are represented by our firm, you gain access to our network of excellent physicians and specialists who can treat your injuries without the need to pay until your case is settled. Your health is our priority. 

We care more and fight harder

Our founder, Ben Swanson, has faced his own health issues. This experience has given him deep compassion for his clients and gives him the drive to care more and fight harder. Our highly competent and integrous legal team of trial attorneys includes Ben Swanson, Esq., Zaneta Conroy, Esq., and Greg Schaffer, Esq., each of whom is committed to pursuing every form of compensation in a bus accident case.

We are personable and relatable, and we work with loyalty and accountability. If an insurance company fails to make a fair offer, we are happy to file a lawsuit to pursue the compensation you deserve.

The insurance companies know this and are willing to overpay our clients so they can avoid embarrassment at trial.

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Bus drivers and California law

Any bus driver must hold a valid commercial driver’s license. They are required to be trained in the safe operation of the vehicle. Bus drivers will be “over the limit” if they register more than .04 BAC (blood alcohol concentration). As reported by KQED, If a bus is equipped with seat belts, passengers must wear them — and a bus driver must notify passengers that they will be cited if they don’t. However, many buses are not equipped with seat belts. In a collision, unsecured passengers can be thrown around the cabin and be seriously injured. A negligent bus driver may violate the law, engage in texting, consume drugs or alcohol, or drive in a negligent manner, causing an accident in which many innocent people sustain injuries.

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Bus accident cases in San Jose

The San Jose area has many types of buses traveling the streets, expressways, and freeways, including:

  • Party buses
  • City buses (VTA)
  • Charter buses
  • Passenger buses (Greyhound and others)
  • School buses
  • Privately-owned buses
  • Tour buses
  • Church buses
  • Hotel shuttles
  • Limousines

Types of injuries in bus accident cases in San Jose

A bus accident can lead to very serious or fatal injuries. The types of injuries sustained by another driver, bus passenger, pedestrian, motorcyclist, or cyclist include:

  • Head injuries
  • Back injuries
  • Neck injures
  • Broken bones
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Internal injuries
  • Concussions
  • Contusions, lacerations, soft tissue injuries

Causes of bus accidents: Who is liable?

A bus accident can be caused by various issues, including:

  • Distracted driver
  • Speeding
  • Failure to yield
  • Bus failures (brakes, tires, equipment)
  • Failure to maintain the vehicle
  • Driver lack of experience
  • An intoxicated driver

When representing an injured client, our legal team must identify all liable parties. If the accident occurred with a VTA bus, you have a shorter timeframe in which to file a claim. The Valley Transportation Authority requires filing a claim for damages within six months, or the case cannot move forward and you will be barred from seeking compensation.

We have the best bus accident attorneys in San Jose who are well versed in handling these claims and it is their sole priority to get you what is right. 

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City bus claims: A different process

When filing a claim against any government agency, the case falls under Government Code Title 1, Division 3.6, Part 3, Chapter 2, which states the requirements:

“A claim shall be presented by the claimant or by a person acting on his or her behalf and shall show all of the following:

  • The name and post office address of the claimant.
  • The post office address to which the person presenting the claim desires notices to be sent.
  • The date, place, and other circumstances of the occurrence or transaction which gave rise to the claim asserted.
  • A general description of the indebtedness, obligation, injury, damage, or loss incurred so far as it may be known at the time of presentation of the claim.
  • The name or names of the public employee or employees causing the injury, damage, or loss, if known.
  • The amount claimed if it totals less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) as of the date of presentation of the claim, including the estimated amount of any prospective injury, damage, or loss, insofar as it may be known at the time of the presentation of the claim, together with the basis of computation of the amount claimed. If the amount claimed exceeds ten thousand dollars ($10,000), no dollar amount shall be included in the claim. However, it shall indicate whether the claim would be a limited civil case.”

Suppose the injury resulted from an accident with a privately-owned bus; it falls under the California statute of limitations, which allows for two years from the date of the injury. In either case, the sooner our firm gets involved, the better it could be for you. First, we will collect all of your supporting evidence and do a complete evaluation. Please call one of our bus accident attorneys in San Jose immediately so we can work on handling your claim. 

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Types of damages in a bus accident case

Your injury claim will include a dollar value put to several types of damages, which include:

Economic losses

The costs of medical care, lost wages, lost earning capacity, transportation, medications, rehabilitation, and other hard costs.

Non-economic losses

The pain and suffering associated with your injuries, loss of quality of life, and other more personal impacts on your future health and emotional wellbeing.

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Meet with us 

We invite you to meet with us for a free case consultation if you have been injured in a bus accident. We offer legal services in both Spanish and English, and our goal is to help our clients rebuild their lives. All our cases are taken on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay us no legal fees unless we win. For honest answers from a law firm that genuinely cares, simply give us a call and you are immediately on the path to recovery and compensation.

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Get the help you need from a team you can trust

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