If you were injured in a vehicle-bus collision or while riding a bus, contact a lawyer right away. You might not think of bus accidents when you think of Las Vegas. However, the busy town has all sorts of buses vying for space in traffic. When you live or vacation in Las Vegas or Henderson, you encounter school buses, Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) buses, Greyhounds, shuttles, and tour buses.
Our team at Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC, handles all types of bus accident claims. Whether you are hurt while riding on a Greyhound on your way into Clark County, or your child was injured in a school bus crash in Las Vegas, we are here help. We will fight for you to receive full and fair compensation for your injuries.
Contact us through our online form or call (702) 878-2889 to schedule your free consultation.
Our team of experienced personal injury lawyers in Las Vegas can represent you after you or a loved one were involved in a:
The Clark County School District owns a considerable number of school buses. School buses do not have seatbelts but are designed to be safe based on compartmentalization, instead. School buses have tall padded seat backs that protect children in the event of a collision. School bus drivers also must have specific training and commercial driver’s license.
However, despite the safety protocols put in place to protect your kids while riding the school bus, school bus accidents happen. If your child is hurt in a crash, call a school bus accident lawyer immediately.
We will thoroughly investigate the cause of the bus crash to determine who is liable for compensating you and your child for their injuries. If the bus driver was at fault, you might need to demand compensation from CCSD.
You may rely on RTC buses, known as “the deuce,” to get to school or work. Or, when you visit Las Vegas, you may forgo a rental car and use RTC buses. With 39 different routes and more than 400 vehicles in the greater Las Vegas Valley, it is a useful transportation option. But RTC’s usefulness does not make it accident-free.
If an RTC bus crash caused you harm, contact a bus accident attorney immediately. Retaining a lawyer right away is important. You may have a claim against the county or city, which means you have to deal with fast administrative deadlines.
However, a private company controls the operation and maintenance of RTC buses. This private company is currently Keolis Transit America. Depending on the cause of the bus crash, we may file a lawsuit against this business instead of pursuing a claim against a government entity.
Every year, many people choose to use Megabus or Greyhound to visit Las Vegas or to leave the city. These passenger buses typically have daily routes taking them in and out of the area. While these drivers have their CDLs and usually have experience, they can cause a bus crash. Or, another negligent motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian may put bus passengers in harm’s way.
No matter the cause of the Las Vegas bus crash, you need to talk with a lawyer about who is responsible for your injuries and how you can pursue compensation. When the bus involved is a Greyhound or Megabus, you may have to file a lawsuit against that company.
Las Vegas roads are full of shuttle buses carting visitors between hotels, the airport, and The Strip. You also will see all types of tour buses, like Hop on Hop Off buses and day trips to the Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon.
If you were involved in a crash with a tour or shuttle bus, call our bus accident attorneys right away. We will get to the bottom of what happened and will identify the business liable for your injuries.
Bus crashes happen for all sorts of reasons. In some cases, it is not the bus driver’s fault. Another motorist, cyclist, or pedestrian may violate a rule of the road and cause a traffic accident. However, in many cases, crashes are the fault of a negligent bus driver.
We have handled bus accident claims arising from:
Bus accidents are not always an individual’s fault. The owner and operator of the bus may be to blame for failing to keep the bus maintained and in good repair. We have handled cases in which we discovered defects caused he bus crashes. In which case, we have pursued compensation from the bus manufacturer, operator, or maintenance vendor.
When a crash causes you injuries, you probably are not sure of what happened or why. It is best to have an experienced bus accident lawyer thoroughly investigate the collision on your behalf. The information we uncover might help you pursue compensation for your injuries.
After being injured in a bus accident in Las Vegas that was another person’s fault, we recommend you speak with us at Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC. You may need to pursue a school bus accident settlement from the school district. You may need to file an administrative claim against the county. Or, you may need to file a lawsuit against a specific individual or company.
During the claim, a bus accident lawyer will demand compensation for your past and future:
A rule that could impact your financial recovery after a bus accident is modified comparative negligence. If you were partly at fault for the crash, then the party deciding your claim may apportion liability.
For example, during a bus accident lawsuit, the defendant may claim you were also driving carelessly. The defendant may say that your negligence reduces their liability. The judge or jury then must analyze the facts of the case to determine if both of you were negligent. If so, then they will assign you each a percentage of fault, adding up to 100%.
If the judge or jury decides you are less than 50% at fault, you will receive compensation. However, once the judge or jury decides the value of your compensation, they will reduce it by your percentage of fault.
If the judge or jury decides you were 50% or more to blame for the bus accident, the law prohibits you from receiving compensation.
If you or your child were injured in a crash involving a CCSD bus or another school bus, call a school bus accident attorney immediately. When a school district is involved, it can be a challenging claim.
School districts are part of a local government. As a branch of the government, they have certain protections from liability. This can make it hard to file and win a lawsuit against them, though not impossible.
To pursue compensation, you need first to file a claim with the school district. At Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC, we are well versed in this process and can guide you through it. We will begin by providing a notarized CCSD Claims Form to the district. We will then work with CCSD’s Risk and Environmental Services Department to resolve your claim.
The risk management department’s Property & Liability Unit handles the investigation into the accident and injuries. Once the department has all of the information it needs, it will make a formal determination in writing.
If CCSD denies your claim or fails to respond on time, we may recommend moving forward with a lawsuit against the district.
When you believe the party liable for your bus accident injuries is RTC, you might face a similar issue as when a claim is against a school district. RTC is a subsidiary of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and is a government entity. You need to go through the administrative process before you can file a lawsuit.
To begin the administrative claim, we would provide Clark County’s Risk management Division with a Notice of Claim as soon as possible. Or, if we believe the city is responsible, we will file a Notice of Claim with the Risk management Division of the City of Las Vegas.
Neither of these divisions will offer you advice on how to pursue a claim. At most, if you call the division, they will inform you as to how to obtain a claims form. When you believe a public transportation agency is responsible for your injuries, you need to talk with a bus accident attorney about how to pursue a claim against a government entity.
The city or county has a certain period to respond to your injury claim. If the city or county denies your claim for compensation or fails to respond in time, your bus accident lawyer will help you file a lawsuit.
However, as of July 2013, Keolis Transit America took on a five-year contract to operate and manage the RTC bus system. It renewed that contract in early 2018. Depending on the cause of the bus crash, we may recommend immediately filing a lawsuit against Keolis and demanding compensation for your injuries.
Regarding filing a lawsuit against the party responsible for the bus crash, Nevada’s statute of limitations gives you two years. In other words, you have two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit. If you have not filed a lawsuit on the second anniversary of the crash, then if you attempt to file, the court will dismiss your case.
However, there are some exceptions to this rule, like if you were under 18 years old at the time of the crash.
It is critical, though, to realize the statute of limitations only refers to filing a personal injury lawsuit. This is not the deadline for filing an administrative claim against a school district, city, county, or other government entity. Those administrative claims have much shorter deadlines.
When you or your child are injured in a bus accident, you may be worried, frightened, and frustrated. Bus accident injuries can lead to significant medical bills and lost wages. If you or your child were seriously injured, you have to contemplate a different future.
We are here to find out who caused the bus crash and hold them responsible. Do not hesitate to contact Oronoz & Ericsson, LLC to speak with a seasoned bus accident attorney about your rights and options.
You can reach us at (702) 878-2889 or through our online form. We offer free consultations.