Bus Accident Attorney in Centennial, CO
While buses are a convenient way to transport large groups of people and their belongings, to get children to and from school, and to travel economically, they present real dangers and risks to the people who ride them and others on the road.
Suppose you or someone you love was recently involved in such an accident. In that case, you can benefit from meeting with a skilled Centennial bus accident lawyer from Varner Faddis Elite Legal, LLC. You may be entitled to financial recovery for your injuries.
Never risk leaving money on the table that you need for your injury-related financial concerns. Reach out for trusted legal assistance as soon as possible.
About Varner Faddis Elite Legal, LLC
At Varner Faddis Elite Legal, LLC, we offer a different approach to personal injury cases such as bus accidents. Our experienced trial attorneys will do your story justice, completing every task with thoroughness, integrity, and a standard of excellence. When you hire our firm, you will never simply be just a number or a dollar sign to us. Instead, we treat each person and case with integrity, respect, and a personalized approach.
Our office is conveniently in Centennial, Colorado, and we serve clients throughout the Denver metro area.
Some of our recent successes include:
- $1.3 million for a personal injury case
- $1.25 million for a motor vehicle collision case
- $1.19 million for a motor vehicle collision case
- $1 million for a motor vehicle collision case
- $900,000 for a personal injury case
- $800,000 for a motor vehicle collision case
- $750,000 for a wrongful death case
- $730,000 for a motor vehicle collision case
- $590,000 for a premises liability case
Causes of Colorado Bus Accidents
Nearly 5,000 large trucks and buses were in fatal crashes in one recent year alone. Additionally, over the past two years, large truck and bus fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by all motor vehicles rose from 0.162 to 0.177.
Determining what caused these accidents identifies who is liable for your injuries and damages. Our Centennial bus accident lawyers know how to complete a thorough investigation to make this determination.
Common causes of these accidents include:
- Driver fatigue: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates how long bus drivers can drive before taking mandatory rest periods. They must also be well-rested before they begin their driving shift. Recent studies reveal that driving while drowsy or fatigued is just as dangerous as drunk driving. Unfortunately, these drivers cannot focus their attention on the road and the task of driving like they might if they weren’t drowsy or fatigued.
- Poor bus or equipment maintenance: Buses cover tens or even hundreds of thousands of miles yearly. They suffer a lot of wear and tear and require frequent safety checks and maintenance. However, many bus companies fail to perform the required inspections, maintenance, and repairs due to the desire to save time or money. When this happens, rider safety is often compromised.
- Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol: Whether it’s the bus driver or another driver on the road, no one should be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Doing so dramatically increases the risk of an accident that can injure many innocent people.
- Inadequate training: Driving a bus is different from driving a regular passenger vehicle. Bus drivers should receive adequate training and education to provide their riders with the safest rides possible. Unfortunately, many bus companies skip providing this training due to staffing, financial issues, or even the lack of time or other resources.
- Improper screening of employees: Not all applicants for bus driver positions are qualified. It’s the job and due diligence of the bus company to ensure they only hire drivers who the company vets and finds reliable and safe. Many companies skip this step in the hiring process or only half complete it. As such, they leave their innocent customers at risk of being in an accident and suffering an injury while making themselves liable for whatever might happen.
- Unsafe drivers: Charter bus drivers must legally have a current commercial driver’s license with a passenger endorsement, along with a valid medical certification, ensuring that they meet the physical qualifications of the job. Additionally, they must have a safe driving record. Disreputable bus companies hire drivers who don’t meet these minimal requirements. These companies also may not have policies in place that support safe driving practices including those prohibiting cell phone use or texting while driving and alcohol and drug testing standards.
- Speeding: Many buses must follow a strict schedule. If they get behind, it can cause a chain reaction with the plans of many individuals. Therefore, there is a lot of pressure to keep up with the schedule. However, this causes many drivers to speed or use other unsafe driving practices, such as running stop signs or stop lights. Anytime a driver does not follow traffic laws, the risk of an accident increases.
- Driver distraction: Bus drivers commonly spend many hours on the road, like tractor-trailer drivers. Despite the fact that they often have a bus full of passengers, it’s tempting and easy to become distracted. Distractions might include daydreaming, texting, talking on the phone, reaching for items, or paying attention to what the passengers are doing. But, no matter the type of distraction, distracted driving causes many bus accidents each year.
What Should You Do After a Bus Accident?
After a bus accident, you may not understand what just happened or know what you should do next. However, your actions after such a traumatic event can affect your injury claim. If you don’t protect your legal interests, you cannot receive full and fair compensation for your injuries.
Here are some essential steps you must take.
Seek Medical Care
If you are involved in a bus accident, first seek medical attention. If you do not receive treatment at the scene or need emergency transportation to a hospital from the scene, make an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible. You should have a diagnosis and documentation of all your injuries to receive proper treatment for your condition.
Even if you don’t think your injuries are significant enough to require medical attention, getting checked out by a medical professional is critical. Not everyone with injuries will feel pain immediately; a lack of discomfort, pain, or other symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you are fine. The ability to walk away from the crash doesn’t mean you didn’t suffer any injuries. If you do have injuries, it’s in your best interest to have them medically documented right away. This establishes that your injuries arose from the bus accident and not something else.
Meet With Our Experienced Centennial Bus Accident Attorneys
Once you undergo an exam by a doctor and are medically stable, contact an experienced Centennial bus accident lawyer who can help you navigate the complexities of a bus accident claim. Taking on the liable party’s insurance company without legal representation isn’t generally advisable. Many victims don’t realize that their adjusters will typically do everything they can to downplay their injuries or devalue their claims. Their goal is to pay you as little as possible.
You’ll want to work with an attorney who knows how to thoroughly investigate the cause of the bus accident, the severity and extent of your injuries, and the scope of your damages. Hiring a trusted legal advocate to be by your side is the best way to protect your right to a fair recovery.
How Our Bus Accident Attorneys Can Help You
Unless you have previously hired a lawyer experienced in personal injury, you may not be fully aware of all the ways obtaining legal counsel can help you after an auto accident. However, there are many ways in which an attorney can help you after a bus accident.
Guiding You Through the Legal Process
Thankfully, most people don’t have to file personal injury claims frequently. However, not having much experience in doing so can leave some people feeling unsure of what to do and even anxious about what will happen.
Our skilled Centennial bus accident attorneys can explain the process to you and tell you what to expect. They can answer your questions and help alleviate your concerns. With a legal team on your side with your best interests as their priority, they can also help you avoid common mistakes, such as settling for less than you deserve or discussing your case on social media.
Handling the Insurance Companies and Adjusters
Once a lawyer represents you, you no longer need to speak directly to the insurance companies, their attorney, or the parties who caused your accident. Instead, your attorney will speak to them on your behalf. This can relieve a significant amount of stress and help you avoid saying anything that can damage your case.
Determining Your Damages
The goal of a bus accident claim is to be made whole. While no settlement or court award will erase the various damages you may have suffered, getting compensation for your damages can still go a long way toward getting your life back on the right track.
An attorney is well-versed in the types of damages that may be available to you and their values. You can potentially receive economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are those that cost money, while non-economic damages do not have an assigned value and are more subjective.
Potential damages you can claim in your auto accident case include:
- Future expected medical expenses: Medical bills and related expenses that your attorney reasonably anticipates you will incur in the future due to your bus accident.
- Reduced earning capacity: If your injury affected your ability to do your work-related duties and earn a living on either a short-term or long-term basis, you can be eligible for compensation.
- Lost income: Hours you had to be away from work while recovering from your bus accident injury or receiving medical care mean lost wages for which you deserve compensation.
- Pain and suffering: You can potentially be eligible for thousands of dollars for the physical and emotional pain and suffering you endure due to your bus accident injuries.
- Scarring and disfigurement: If your accident left you with severe scarring or even the loss of a limb, you deserve compensation for living with the related physical and emotional impairments.
- Punitive damages: If your attorney can show that the other driver was behaving recklessly or maliciously when they caused the accident, you might receive additional damages.
Negotiating a Settlement
In addition to ascertaining your damages, your attorney can negotiate with the other parties involved and their insurance companies to potentially reach an agreement regarding how much compensation you should receive from them. Lawyers are great communicators and have the skills to get you a fair settlement. Sometimes these negotiations are done through mediation or with all parties meeting together, and other times they are done via telephone.
Case Litigation
The majority of bus accident cases settle pre-trial, but some do not. If your Centennial bus accident lawyer cannot obtain a fair settlement in your case through negotiations, they can take your case to court. The choice to litigate your case in this manner should be up to you. Your attorney can provide you with sound advice as to whether or not you receive a fair accident settlement offer, but you are the one who decides.
Injured in a Bus Accident? Contact Varner Faddis Elite Legal, LLC Today for Help
Lauren Varner, Bus Accident Attorney in Centennial
Severe and even catastrophic injuries can arise from a bus accident. Those who suffer these injuries deserve full and fair compensation, but receiving this compensation requires the careful attention of an experienced Centennial bus accident attorney.
You’ll find such an attorney at Varner Faddis Elite Legal, LLC.
Call our personal injury law firm in Centennial today at (720) 809-8380 or contact us online for your free bus accident consultation.
Varner Faddis Elite Legal, LLC – Centennial Office
6025 South Quebec St. Suite 100,
Centennial, CO 80111
Phone: (720) 809-8380
Testimonials
I would highly recommend Varner Faddis Elite Legal Team to anyone who was in a car accident and needs an attorney. From the initial meeting to the closing of the case, they were patient, kind, understanding, thorough, and always made sure I was aware of what was going on with my case. And, when I needed an advocate to nudge the insurance claim person or a medical provider, they were always there to bat for me. Their legal services are outstanding!!!
If you are in need of legal representation now or in the future, please do yourself a favor and each out to Eric and Lauren immediately. I guarantee that you will be in good hands.
– Dion Duran (more reviews on Google)
