What to Know About Seeking Damages for Bus Accident Injuries
The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority, or CARTA, is responsible for managing the city’s bus system. Private buses also help riders get from one point to another. And while these buses are essential to help people get to work, school, or even to run their daily errands, accidents do sometimes happen. If you’ve been hurt in a bus accident, you will need knowledgeable legal representation that understands the necessary steps to seek damages for bus accident injuries. Rosen Hagood provides some tips for what you need to do.
How to Seek Damages for Bus Accident Injuries
Step 1: Seek immediate medical attention and follow your doctor’s recommendations.
After being in an accident, especially one involving a bus, you may not realize how severe your injuries are. You may even believe you weren’t hurt at all. But some injuries don’t manifest themselves for hours or even days. Getting medical attention right away is critical for two important reasons.
First, and most important, you may be unwittingly risking your own health. A qualified physician is the best person to judge whether you’ve been injured and how badly. Second, you could jeopardize your legal case if you delay medical treatment. Lawyers representing the bus company will look for any reason possible to blame you for the severity of your injuries. If you don’t see a doctor right away, this creates a gap in time between the bus accident and your treatment. The defendant’s lawyer will argue that your actions therefore made the injuries worse. Don’t give the negligent party a chance to shift blame to you; see a doctor.
For the same reason, follow any treatment recommendations your doctor gives you. Take all medicines prescribed by your doctor and attend any follow-up medical appointments scheduled. By following your doctor’s orders and advice, you will make it much easier to seek damages.
Step 2: Retain legal counsel early.
It is in your best interests to hire experienced legal counsel early. Medical and other bills will start to pile up while you are recovering and unable to work (or at least work at your full capacity). Taking action sooner rather than later can help you obtain monetary compensation early so you can offset these losses. You will also likely begin hearing from insurance adjusters and lawyers representing the bus company and other at-fault parties. It is strongly advised that you have an attorney communicate with these individuals on your behalf.
If the responsible party is a government entity such as CARTA, it’s even more critical that you retain counsel. There are different rules for suing public agencies as opposed to private parties. Failure to follow these rules could damage your legal claim.
Your lawyer will also assist with the discovery process. Discovery is the formal request and exchange of information relevant to the lawsuit. There are a number of discovery tools available to help you acquire the evidence needed to support your case. You will probably receive discovery requests as well, and you need to understand how to correctly respond to them.
Step 3: Start acquiring evidence on your own.
Although discovery is an important evidence-gathering tool, you don’t have to and shouldn’t wait for that step to begin gathering evidence. Start by writing down everything you can remember about the events leading up to and right after the wreck. The more details you can remember, the better.
If anyone witnessed the accident, get their names and contact information. Take pictures of the crash scene, including of your vehicle. Begin collecting your medical bills and other expenses related to your injuries and start documenting how much work you miss. Finally, take notes on your physical and mental conditions and your limitations while recovering.
Don’t Wait to Begin Your Lawsuit
There are deadlines that apply to every personal injury lawsuit, and the sooner you take action the stronger your legal claim will be. Our bus accident attorneys are ready to go to work and demand the compensation you deserve. Give Rosen Hagood a call today to get started.
