Bus Accidents

Fort Lauderdale Bus Accident Attorneys

Fort Lauderdale residents, workers, and visitors rely heavily on buses to get around. Broward County Transit bus routes cross the city from Lighthouse Point to the Southwest Ranches. The Broward County Public Schools system ferries local children to and from classes on more than 1,000 school buses. Charter bus companies carry tourists to beaches and shopping along Ocean Boulevard, and transport Port Everglades cruise ship passengers to on-shore adventures.

The convenience of buses comes with a downside: bus-involved traffic accidents that injure bus passengers, motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. Victims of those accidents deserve payment to compensate them for their injuries and losses. The bus accident injury lawyers at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers could work to help them obtain it.

If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a Fort Lauderdale bus accident, then contact us online or call our Fort Lauderdale bus accident attorneys for a free consultation about your legal rights.

About The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale

For more than 15 years, Attorney Gabriel Levin and his team of award-winning trial lawyers have set the standard for representing injured victims of motor vehicle accidents, including those involving buses. From offices in the mid-Atlantic and Fort Lauderdale, attorneys from The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers stand up for the rights of individuals harmed by someone else’s careless or wrongful actions.

Over our years of law practice, we have secured tens of millions of dollars in compensation for our clients, earning their trust and confidence in our abilities, know-how, and professionalism. We cannot guarantee our clients that they will receive compensation for their injuries, but we can promise that our firm will put their interests first, and that we will fight to secure them the maximum compensation possible for their situations.

Overview of Fort Lauderdale Bus Accidents

Compared to other types of motor vehicle accidents, bus accidents are relatively rare. That does not make them any less devastating for their victims, however.

According to Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FHSMV) data, in recent years, thousands of bus drivers and passengers have suffered injuries, some of them fatal, in bus accidents around the Sunshine State. Cyclists and pedestrians also suffered numerous severe and fatal injuries in traffic accidents in those years, and although FHSMV data does not give specifics, some of them undoubtedly involved collisions with buses.

Data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) echoes those findings, reporting roughly 1,400 injury-causing or fatal bus crashes per year in Florida. Of those, roughly 160 (on average) happen annually in Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas of Broward County, according to the FMCSA.

Common Bus Accident Scenarios We Handle

Accidents involving buses can cause injuries and fatalities in numerous ways.

At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, we have represented clients in a range of bus crashes and collisions that can occur, including:

  • Single vehicle bus accidents, such as when buses run off the road and roll over;
  • Collisions between buses and other motor vehicles on highways and in-town streets;
  • Collisions between buses and pedestrians at Fort Lauderdale intersections and in school zones;
  • Collisions between buses and cyclists, including when buses stray into bicycle-only lanes; and
  • Injuries to un-belted bus passengers when buses brake or turn sharply.

These are merely some examples of the wide array of bus accidents that may cause injuries and fatalities in Fort Lauderdale. No matter what type of bus accident harmed you or a loved one, the team at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers invites you to contact us for a free consultation.

Common Bus Accident Injuries

The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers also has years of accumulated knowledge about securing compensation for clients afflicted with a wide assortment of severe and catastrophic injuries, any of which could result from a bus accident in Fort Lauderdale.

Common injuries for which we help clients secure compensation include:

  • Traumatic brain injuries that leave our clients unconscious or impaired;
  • Spinal cord injuries resulting in loss of sensation and paralysis;
  • Amputations and crush injuries that deprive our clients of use of a limb;
  • Bone breaks and orthopedic injuries which, even after they heal, cause chronic pain and limited mobility;
  • Burns that leave our clients struggling with extreme and disfiguring scars; and
  • Internal injuries to vital organs that inflict lifelong health complications.

As above, this is only a partial list. Our team at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers possesses deep knowledge and familiarity with the medical science and costs associated with virtually any injury that might occur in a Fort Lauderdale bus accident.

How We Help Victims of Fort Lauderdale Bus Accidents

Potential clients come to us at The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale during a difficult, traumatic time of their lives. They or their loved ones have suffered debilitating injuries in bus accidents. They face mounting medical expenses, financial strain from missing work, and severe physical and emotional pain.

We are here to help. Our mission for clients we represent is to secure the maximum compensation available to pay for their injuries and losses from the parties at-fault for their bus accidents, and from anyone else who has a legal obligation to answer for the actions of the parties at-fault.

Determining Liability

One of our first jobs in a Fort Lauderdale bus accident case is to investigate the facts of the crash to determine who may owe compensation to our injured client. We treat every accident as a unique event requiring our skill, focus, and diligence to unravel.

We never know for certain where a case will lead before we dive in, but we have found that parties who commonly owe damages for a bus accident include:

  • Bus drivers who make mistakes behind the wheel that cause a crash;
  • Bus operators, including charter companies, school districts, and municipal transit authorities, who must answer for the mistakes of a bus driver they hire, and may also owe damages for failing to inspect and maintain a bus;
  • Mechanics and other bus-related service providers who fail to keep buses in a safe condition for passengers and the public;
  • Bus manufacturers who produce and sell buses containing defective parts that can fail and cause a crash; and
  • Municipal officials and agencies responsible for designing, building, and maintaining streets and intersections that buses, other motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians can share safely.

To find out who may owe you damages for a Fort Lauderdale bus accident that left you or a loved one injured, contact us today.

Calculating Damages

Another important task we face every time we take a bus accident case in Fort Lauderdale is the evaluation of the full scope of harm our client has suffered. No two clients sustain the same injuries, and no two injuries affect our clients the same way. At The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers, we work closely with clients to understand the full toll a bus accident has taken on their lives and families. We aim to make sure that when the time comes for us to demand damages in legal action on our client’s behalf, we will seek the maximum damages allowable under Florida law.

Every case differs, but oftentimes, through legal action we take for their benefit, our clients can receive compensation for:

  • Medical expenses involved in treating their injuries today, and in the future;
  • Other expenses they currently or will face because of the accident and their injuries;
  • Lost wages and income due to temporarily or permanently missing work because of an injury;
  • Pain and suffering they endure today and in the future, including strain on their personal relationships and diminished quality of life; and
  • Sometimes, punitive damages to punish the party at-fault for the bus accident for extreme or outrageous conduct.

As noted above, our Fort Lauderdale bus accident lawyers cannot guarantee results in any bus accident case, but we can assure every client that we will leave no avenue unexplored in our quest to obtain maximum compensation for their bus accident injuries and losses.

Frequently Asked Questions About Fort Lauderdale Bus Accident Cases

Fort Lauderdale Bus Accident: FAQGeneral answers to questions clients often ask us about Fort Lauderdale bus accident cases appear below. For answers to your specific questions, you can always contact or call The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers to speak with a member of our Fort Lauderdale bus accident injury team.

What is my Fort Lauderdale bus accident injury claim worth?

Every claim is different. The amount of money you might have the right to receive for your bus accident injuries depends on:

  • The severity and overall impact of your injuries. As a general rule, the worse your injuries, the higher your medical and other expenses, the more income you lose, and the greater your pain and suffering, all of which figure into the size of the potential damages you may demand.
  • Whether the bus operator was a private or public entity. A claim against a private bus operator can potentially yield higher damages than one against a public operator like Broward County Transit or Broward County Public Schools, because Florida law caps the amount of damages recoverable against government entities in many cases.
  • The strength of the case your lawyer can build out of the evidence and legal arguments available. Strong cases generally tend to achieve higher-dollar outcomes than cases that leave some question as to who has liability or how much you deserve to receive in damages.
  • The money available to pay you. The size of the insurance policy carried by the party at-fault, and/or the assets that the party possesses that your lawyer may seize to pay your damages, can influence the ultimate value of your bus accident claim.

To begin exploring the potential size of your Fort Lauderdale bus accident claim, contact The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers today.

How long do I have to start a lawsuit for my Fort Lauderdale bus accident injuries?

Less time than you might think.

As a general matter, victims of personal injuries in Florida have four years from the date of their injuries to begin a legal action seeking damages. However, claims against a state or municipal entity must begin within three, not four, years. A claim for a wrongful death resulting from a Fort Lauderdale bus accident must begin within two years of the accident. In addition, numerous provisions of Florida law can potentially shorten (or lengthen) these times.

Missing the window of opportunity to file a lawsuit for damages in Florida will typically result in losing your right to compensation.

In other words, you cannot afford to risk any delay in getting started in exploring your legal options. The sooner you speak with a bus accident attorney about your Fort Lauderdale bus accident, the lower the risk of missing an important deadline, and the better your chances of securing the compensation you deserve.

Can I sue on my child’s behalf for injuries my child suffered in a Fort Lauderdale school bus accident?

Yes. Under Florida law, parents of minor children have the right to take legal action on their children’s behalf seeking damages. If a parent does not do so, in most cases, children have the right to take legal action on their own once they turn 18.

gabriel levin Attorney
Gabriel Levin, Bus Accident Lawyer

Speak with an attorney from The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers today to explore your rights as the parent of a minor victim of a Fort Lauderdale bus accident, or as a bus accident victim who was a minor when the crash happened and whose parents did not take legal action on your behalf.

Call Our Bus Accident Lawyers in Fort Lauderdale

A bus accident can inflict terrible damage and heartache. As a victim of a bus crash in Fort Lauderdale, you do not need to shoulder the burden of recovering from a bus accident alone. A bus accident injury lawyer from The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers can fight on your behalf to secure you the compensation you deserve.

For a free consultation to learn more about your rights and options after a Fort Lauderdale bus crash injures you or a loved one, contact The Levin Firm Personal Injury Lawyers today or call us at (954) 715-3260.

 

Fort Lauderdale Office
Attorneys Gabriel Levin and John Mattiacci at The Levin Firm welcome the opportunity to meet and work with you.
Toll Free: 877.825.8542