Have you recently suffered injuries in a bus accident in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania? Don’t hesitate to reach out to the award-winning legal team at Marzzacco Niven & Associates for help. You may be entitled to insurance benefits or monetary damages in a lawsuit, and our Wyomissing bus accident lawyers can help you fight to get every cent you deserve.
Benefit from a team of top-rated Pennsylvania trial attorneys with over 120 years of combined experience. Since 2008, we’ve been standing up and fighting on behalf of catastrophically injured clients and devastated families. Our law firm has won tens of millions of dollars in the process.
Now is the time to take a stand and demand the compensation you deserve. Contact our law office in Wyomissing, PA, at (717) 388-2325 to get started. Your initial case evaluation is free.
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How Marzzacco Niven & Associates Can Help After You’re Injured in a Wyomissing, PA, Bus Accident
How can you prove that the bus driver was negligent? What happens if the bus was defective or if a mechanical issue contributed to your bus accident? How much money can you reasonably expect to recover for your bus accident injuries?
The bus service, insurance companies, government agencies, and defense attorneys will be ready to fight you as you work to answer these – and other – important questions after a collision. The good news is that you don’t have to take on at-fault parties on your own.
By calling our Wyomissing personal injury lawyers for help, you can set the stage for victory and increase the odds of a meaningful financial recovery.
While you focus on recovering from your bus accident injuries, our top-rated Pennsylvania litigators will:
- Gather critical pieces of evidence, including black box recorder data, medical records, accident reports, vehicle maintenance records, photographs and video recordings, physical evidence from the scene, and other information to support your case
- Find and interview witnesses
- Consult with experts who specialize in bus and commercial vehicle accidents
- Offer guidance and support throughout the claims process
- Enter negotiations prepared with smart, effective legal strategies designed to optimize the terms of a settlement
- Prepare to reject lowball offers, file a lawsuit, and bring your case to trial, if necessary
At Marzzacco Niven & Associates, our bus accident attorneys in Wyomissing work on contingency. We know that the cost of a bus accident can be high, which is why we don’t want you to be afraid to ask for the legal help you need. You pay nothing for our help unless we collect compensation for you.
Reach out to our law office in Wyomissing to learn more. Our team is always available to take your call, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Pennsylvania Bus Accident Statistics
Tens of thousands of bus accidents are reported nationwide every year. Pennsylvania is home to hundreds of these devastating accidents.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, there were 321 commercial bus accidents and 156 school bus accidents statewide in 2020.
That’s an average of one bus accident every 1.3 days.
At least 25 victims died in these avoidable Pennsylvania bus accidents.
Why Do Bus Accidents Happen?
Buses are generally considered to be safe vehicles. In fact, buses – particularly school buses – are specifically designed to minimize the risk of accidents and protect occupants in the event of a crash.
However, accidents can – and do – happen when bus drivers make mistakes. While not the exclusive cause of bus accidents in Wyomissing, bus driver negligence plays a role in many crashes.
Bus driver negligence can include:
- Speeding or driving too fast for road and weather conditions
- Unsafe turns
- Illegal passing
- Illegal stopping
- Fatigued driving, often due to hours of service violations
- Drunk driving
- Distracted driving
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Running red lights or stop signs
Bus accidents can also be caused by:
- Negligent hiring practices
- Defective buses
- Faulty brakes or other vehicle equipment
- Negligent vehicle maintenance
- Inclement weather
- Road defects
- Poor visibility
- Road construction
Our personal injury attorneys in Wyomissing will carefully evaluate the facts and evidence of your bus accident, working hard to uncover precisely why it happened. Once the cause is known, we can move forward and demand monetary damages from those responsible.
Who’s Liable for My Injuries After a Wyomissing Bus Accident?
While bus driver negligence is a leading cause of bus accidents in Wyomissing, the bus driver isn’t the only one who could be responsible for a wreck.
Following a thorough investigation of your Wyomissing bus accident, it might be clear that one or more of the following parties are at fault:
- Negligent bus driver
- A rrivate bus company, like Greyhound
- Charter bus company
- School bus company
- School district
- Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority (BARTA bus)
- Negligent motorists, including truck drivers, motorcyclists, and passenger vehicle operators
- Bicyclists
- Pedestrians
- Bus passengers
- Bus manufacturers
- Bus maintenance professionals
Unless a defect causes an accident, negligence will be the primary grounds for seeking compensation for crash-related injuries and suffering.
In Pennsylvania, buses are common carriers, which means that bus drivers and bus companies are held to a heightened standard of care. Under state law, buses must exercise the “highest standard of care” in operating the vehicle, bus maintenance, and transporting passengers.
As a result, it can be easier to successfully prove negligence if you get hurt because of a bus driver’s negligence or the careless actions of a bus company.
Common Bus Accident Injuries
Even though some buses are built to withstand serious force and compartmentalize passengers to reduce trauma, injuries resulting from a crash can be catastrophic.
At Marzzacco Niven & Associates, we represent bus accident victims who have suffered:
- Broken bones
- Cuts and lacerations
- Soft tissue injury
- Chest injury
- Concussion
- Traumatic brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Neck injury
- Whiplash
- Back injury
- Nerve damage
- Crushing injury
- Eye injury
- Amputation
- Wrongful death of a family member in a fatal Wyomissing bus accident
As always, seek emergency medical attention at the closest hospital in Wyomissing after a bus accident. Then don’t hesitate to reach out to our experienced bus accident attorneys to discuss your legal rights and options.
How Does Shared Fault Affect My Ability To Recover Compensation After a Pennsylvania Bus Accident?
Bus companies and insurers love to shift liability. So, after an accident, it’s important to brace yourself for victim-blaming tactics. Pennsylvania has a modified comparative negligence system. Within it, there’s a 51 percent bar to recovery. If you’re assigned more than half of the blame for a bus accident, you lose the opportunity to recover compensation in a third-party claim.
Our bus accident lawyers in Wyomissing will be prepared for these types of allegations. We’ll be ready to fight back, demanding proof of the claims while digging to find helpful evidence of our own. We will work tirelessly to ensure that fault is assigned properly so that you maximize your opportunity to recover the money you deserve.
What Damages Can I Get if I File a Wyomissing Bus Accident Lawsuit?
Bus accident victims in Wyomissing can pursue compensation for economic damages (financial losses) and non-economic damages (hard-to-value life changes).
Commonly awarded compensatory damages include money for:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
- Nursing care
- Property damage
- Rehabilitation
- Pain and suffering
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
If there’s evidence that you were injured because of a bus driver’s intentionally harmful actions or that they displayed a conscious disregard for your safety, punitive damages might be applicable, as well.
Is There a Deadline To Pursue Compensation in a Pennsylvania Bus Accident Lawsuit?
In Pennsylvania, a two-year statute of limitations applies to most bus accident cases.
This gives you until the second anniversary of:
- The date of your Wyomissing bus accident, or
- The wrongful death of a family member after a fatal Wyomissing bus accident
to pursue compensation.
Once the deadline comes and goes, you’ll have given up the opportunity to assert your legal rights and demand compensation from liable parties.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to our experienced legal team in Wyomissing after your bus accident. We’re always standing by to help – 24/7/365.
Schedule a Free Consultation With a Trusted Wyomissing Bus Accident Lawyer
Bus accidents can be catastrophic. Investigations can be complex and time-consuming. You’re struggling with serious injuries and deserve to be compensated justly. Put yourself in the best position to get top results by calling Marzzacco Niven & Associates for help right away.
Our Wyomissing bus accident attorneys have 120+ years of combined experience. We’ve won millions for our clients. Now we’re ready to stand up and advocate for you.
Call our law office, conveniently located in Wyomissing, PA, to get started. Our team is ready to schedule your free consultation now.