Accidents involving commercial and municipal buses happen in Miami and throughout South Florida. The victims of these accidents can be severely injured, even killed as a result. Are you or a loved one negatively affected by an incident involving a commercial bus accident or and accident with a city bus? Consult with the experienced Miami bus accident lawyers from Gamba Herrera Trial Lawyers to discuss your legal rights.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, nationwide more than 700 million passengers — nearly the entire population of Europe — are transported by buses annually. Most travel to and from their destinations safely. Yet despite the strong safety record of buses, more than 250 people were killed and 20,000 injured in bus-related crashes in 2009. From 2000-2007, there were 1,093 fatal accidents involving large buses, resulting in 1,315 fatalities and 3,471 injuries, including pedestrians and people riding in other vehicles.
What is The Difference Between Bus Accidents and Car Accidents?
There is a vast difference between accidents involving commercial vehicles and those involving basic automobiles owned by a consumer. Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) is the primary public transit authority of Miami, Florida, United States and the greater Miami-Dade County area. It is the largest transit system in Florida and the 15th-largest transit system in the United States. As of 2011, MDT has a daily passenger ridership of 336,067, which accounts for over 15% of Miamians’ daily transportation. The NTSB notes approximately 250 people are killed and 20,000 injured each year in bus accidents. In the past seven years, there were nearly 1,100 fatal crashes involving large buses resulting in 1,315 deaths and 3,500 injuries. These figures include pedestrians and people in other motor vehicles. Due to the complexities and nuances of these federal regulations, cases involving these accidents require an experienced bus accident lawyer familiar with the business information and practices, insurance requirements, in addition to safety and training regulations applicable to the trucking industry.
What Happens After a Bus Accident?
Public Transit companies and their insurers typically spring into action after a catastrophic bus accident. They immediately contact defense lawyers. These attorneys turn to claims investigators to find any favorable evidence demonstrating that the professional driver is not at fault. They search logs of the driver’s schedule and review traffic cameras and other recorded evidence. The insurer then contacts the victim and their family to persuade them into thinking they do not need an attorney. This involves offering a settlement.
Knowing Who is Responsible is Essential
In the meantime, a great deal of evidence demonstrative of a trucking company’s or driver’s fault can be lost. This happens when a victim doesn’t exercise their rights to an attorney acting on their behalf to uncover or preserve vital evidence.
The major trucking companies like Leon Trucking now utilize onboard computers and satellite communication systems. These systems can generate massive amounts of information that is beneficial to a victim’s case. Most modern semi-trucks include engine control module (ECM) boxes that gather and store important information regarding vehicle movements and operations. This data is often purged from computers within a few weeks of being gathered. Trucking companies can additionally modify the information before a court order is issued. This is extremely detrimental to a case as this information can disappear before it is shared with the victim or their attorney.
Our Attorneys Fight For You
The victims of bus accidents and their families shouldn’t let bus company representatives or their insurers guide them. While many of these companies and their drivers operate in compliance with necessary regulations and safety requirements, there is a significant number of operators who skirt the law, sacrificing safety in search of greater profit margins. The most common problems involve driver fatigue, not performing total inspections, inadequate training, overloaded trucks, improper maintenance, faulty brakes, driving in dangerous road conditions, driver inexperience, speeding, aggressive or illegal driving, drugs, and alcohols, as well as improper safety equipment on the buses.
The attorneys at Gamba Herrera Trial Lawyers represent victims of bus accident cases in Miami, Broward, and all over South Florida. You can search the yellow pages and find many trucking companies who adhere to proper trucking industry standards. However, several companies post truck driving jobs secretly not requiring updated training or licensing. When this scenario occurs and results in an unfortunate accident or fatality, this is a negligent action.
We defend client rights all over the South Florida area. These individuals suffer as a result of the negligent behaviors of others. Our attorneys boast the experience and education necessary to achieve a positive outcome in South Florida court.
For more information on how Bus Accident lawyer, Gamba Herrera Trial Lawyers, can assist your truck accident case, contact us today. We want to help make you whole again through compensation in the form of money, and justice. Our attorneys strive to hold those responsible, liable in a court of law.