Child & Jackson can help you or someone you care about that’s been injured in a bus accident in Folsom. Throughout the area, you’ll see buses operated by Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT). While they offer a lot of protection for the driver and passengers, it’s not necessarily a good thing to be involved in an accident with one. We can help you through the aftermath. Set up a free consultation today.
Does a Lawyer Make Sense After a Bus Accident?
Bus accidents can get complicated pretty quickly. You may be dealing with serious injuries, a transit agency, insurance companies, and questions about who’s actually responsible. And when you’re trying to recover at the same time, it can be a lot to handle on your own. That’s when a lawyer starts to make more sense, and our team can step in to help you:
- Figure out what caused the accident and who might be responsible
- Explain your rights and legal options
- Handle the back -and-forth with the city, county, or insurance company
- Build a claim that shows the full impact of your injuries
Just because you see them everyday doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with an accident with a SacRT bus. A lot of the time, it brings up even more questions than normal. Our team can take all that on for you so you have the space to focus on your recovery. That starts with getting good information.
Information That Can Help After a Bus Accident
The first thing to remember after a bus accident is that you don’t need to figure everything out at the scene. In fact, your main focus should be on your health and safety. So like any other vehicle accident, you should call 911 to report the accident. That should prompt an ambulance and police to the scene, but while you wait, it’s a good chance to get a few basic things like:
- Pictures/videos of everything—your car’s damage, the SacRT bus, the bus number printed on the vehicle, license plates, visible injuries, and overall road conditions.
- The SacRT driver’s name and license information.
- Names and phone numbers of anybody who saw the accident before they leave the scene.
That’s about as much information as the scene will give you, but again, it’s worth repeating that you should focus on getting checked out by EMTs, answering questions from police, and going from there. Then, once you’re away from the scene and things settle down in the next few days/weeks, other things are going to start coming in, like:
- Medical records and bills will be your foundation because they tie your injuries directly to the accident.
- The police report or other official accident report.
- SacRT incident information or any paperwork you receive about the accident.
- Body shop estimates, rental car receipts, and property damage valuation reports if your vehicle was damaged.
- Pay stubs, W-2s, or notes from your employer showing shifts or income you lost while recovering.
- Notes on your daily recovery, with a focus on your pain levels, symptoms, and how your injuries are keeping you from working or doing normal daily activities.
- Letters, emails, or notes from phone calls with insurance adjusters.
Gathering all of this might sound overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. A few key pictures and details are usually enough to get started, and our team can fill in the rest later.
Why Bus Accidents Happen in Folsom
There’s nothing about Folsom that automatically makes bus accidents more likely. But when you think about what SacRT buses are designed for and where they go constantly, it becomes a bit easier to see why accidents happen. Usually, they happen because of:
- Crowded streets and bus stops. The busier the area, the harder it can be for SacRT buses, drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to move around safely, especially when everyone is trying to move through the same space.
- Tired or inattentive drivers. Fatigue can slow a bus driver’s reaction time and make it harder to respond to traffic, pedestrians, or sudden changes on the road.
- Using a phone, talking to passengers, adjusting controls, or simply not paying attention can cause a driver to miss something important.
- Aggressive driving. Speeding, following too closely, making unsafe lane changes, or trying to get around a bus can create dangerous situations for everyone nearby.
- Inexperienced drivers. Driving a large transit bus is different from driving a regular car. A lack of proper training or experience can make it harder to handle certain traffic or road conditions safely.
- Poor bus maintenance. Problems with brakes, tires, steering, doors, or other equipment can lead to an accident if they aren’t properly inspected and maintained.
- Unsafe roads. Potholes, construction, damaged pavement, poor road design, or other roadway problems can make it harder for a bus driver to drive safely.
- Other drivers. Sometimes the bus driver isn’t the one who caused the accident. Another driver may cut off a SacRT bus, run a red light, make an unsafe turn, or otherwise do something that causes it.
Again, there’s a lot of different ways that bus accidents happen around Folsom. But it hits differently when you’re the one involved. That means looking at the details and answering one big question: who’s responsible?
Who’s Legally Responsible For a Bus Accident?
One of the hardest parts of a bus accident isn’t just dealing with your injuries. It’s figuring out who’s actually responsible for what happened. Like other drivers, bus drivers have the same responsibility as anyone else behind the wheel.
The big difference, though, is that they’re not driving their own vehicle. And because they’re on the clock, there’s vicarious liability.
That means if the driver’s negligence causes the accident, SacRT and the county is ultimately responsible.
Of course, there’s other instances of negligence too, and that can bring in others like:
- Companies that made defective parts of the bus or didn’t keep up with maintenance.
- The city, county, or state agencies that are responsible for poor road conditions, construction, or other roadway problems.
- Other drivers that caused the accident with the bus by cutting it off, running a red light, or otherwise driving recklessly.
Obviously, every bus accident is different. And because of that, legal responsibility can shift and depends on the exact details. But more than that, who’s actually responsible can change the way the claims process works.
How the Claims Process Works With a Bus Accident
Your rights and options don’t change with a bus accident. But what does change from accident to accident is how the actual process works. And the best way to look at it is by splitting it between a claim against SacRT and a private company or person:
- With a claim against SacRT, you’re filing under the California Tort Claims Act because it’s against a public agency. That means you have to:
- File a formal government claim within six months of the accident.
- Wait for SacRT to respond to the claim. The agency generally has 45 days to act on a properly presented claim.
- If there’s no response or a denial, you can move ahead with a lawsuit in state court.
- If the bus accident happened because of the negligence of a private company or person, the claims process works as normal, where you can:
- File an insurance claim outside of court
- File a personal injury lawsuit=
With either option, the goal is the same. You’re going after financial support based on your “damages.” They can include things like:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Current lost income or a loss of future earnings
- Repair or replacement costs for your car or other damaged property
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
In the most serious cases, surviving family members may also have the right to file a wrongful death claim. The key is starting early and gathering as much information as possible—especially if you’re on a quicker timeline with a public claim. But no matter what, our team will be with you from the start to support you.
Talk to Our Folsom Bus Accident Lawyers Today
When you’re injured in a SacRT bus accident in Folsom, you might not know where to turn. You’re trying to recover, you may be missing work, and you may have an insurance company or the government asking you questions you don’t know how to answer.
At Child & Jackson, we can help you figure out what happened, who may be responsible, and what your legal options are. We’ll explain the process and guide you through it from start to finish. Set up your free consultation today.