San Diego Tour Bus Accident Lawyers
The tour bus accident lawyers in San Diego, California at Jeffrey Estes Injury Lawyers can assist you and your family if you were hurt in a tour bus accident. Call 855-290-8080 for a FREE CONSULTATION.
Tour bus companies are required to hold high limit insurance policies, but problems can arise if multiple people were involved in your tour bus accident, because victims may be required to split damages among all victims. However, if the tour bus company was responsible for your accident, either due to hours of service violations, failure to vet drivers, maintenance issues with the tour bus, or because of another issue, you and your family may be able to pursue a lawsuit against the tour bus company for additional damages.
Call 855-290-8080. The San Diego tour bus accident lawyers at Jeffrey Estes Injury Lawyers work closely with victims who have been impacted by negligent drivers. FREE CONSULTATION.
Like city buses, tour buses are considered “common carriers” and are legally required to use the highest degree of care to ensure passengers’ safety and well-being. Even so, accidents can and do occur, often resulting in numerous serious injuries or even death due to their size and passenger count. Like any other commercial driving operation, companies are required to vet their drivers, maintain their buses in good working order, and abide by all local and federal laws, including hours of service regulations. Unfortunately, sometimes companies place their bottom lines over passengers’ safety. When this happens, individuals can suffer serious injuries.
When you travel on a bus, you put your life in the hands of a stranger. When a bus company violates that trust, they may be required to pay to cover victims’ medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages. Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates, APC, is the serious accident and injury law firm of attorneys Jeffrey E. Estes and Alton J. Smith. If you or a loved one has been injured on a tour bus en route to a San Diego winery, craft brewery, casino, Joshua Tree National Park, or another tourist destination, call us toll free 855-290-8080. Our tour bus attorneys in San Diego, California can review your case, estimate the value of your claim, and offer you an honest opinion about the next steps.
Our firm has represented throughout San Diego and Southern California for over 25 years of legal practice, we have won substantial settlements and verdicts for past clients.
The Importance Of Evidence In Tour Bus Accident Cases in San Diego, California
Tour bus companies, or “common carriers,” may have high insurance policies to protect their drivers and passengers in the event of an accident. In “common carrier” cases, there are often multiple parties who can be held liable for injury claims of this magnitude, and a skilled lawyer will know how to gather the evidence needed to validate your claim and hold all liable parties responsible. For instance, in a “common carrier” accident, the bus company may be negligent if it fails to properly maintain its vehicles.
However, the company may pass the blame onto other suppliers. For instance, if tire failure resulted in an accident, the tire company may also be partly to blame. While drivers may be to blame in an accident, there may also be other parties involved. For instance, if a company requires a driver to work long hours that are in violation of federal laws, the company may also be to blame for the crash. long hours that are in violation of federal laws, the company may also be to blame for the crash. If a tour bus company relied on another maintenance company to maintain vehicles and this company failed to properly maintain vehicles and brakes failed or tires failed, then the maintenance company could be held liable.
Obtaining evidence of negligence or error in tour bus injury accident cases is complex. It often involves the use of an accident reconstructionist and engineering experts, witness testimony, police records and close evaluation of both the commercial driving record and qualifications of the individual tour bus driver involved, and the company’s hiring practices. A qualified attorney can look at a driver’s record in other states. Sometimes companies may only look at a driver’s record in California, unaware that a driver was found guilty of a DUI or traffic violation in another state. Working with a lawyer who is knowledgeable in proving personal injury cases and is connected with local experts and investigators streamlines an otherwise tedious process and helps to ensure that all of the facts of your case are represented in your favor.
Another issue that can arise is the medical fitness of the tour bus driver. Commercial drivers are required to get regular medical assessments to determine their fitness to drive, but sometimes driver or even tour bus companies may be aware that a driver has a medical condition that could pose a hazard to passengers or others on the road. For example, conditions like sleep apnea could require that a driver get appropriate medical care or stop driving. Some types of medications are also not permissible. If a driver gets a new prescription but doesn’t tell his or her employer or if the employer doesn’t have a policy in place requiring drivers to inform them about new medications, then the company or driver could be held responsible for the accident. Some types of medication can have a serious impact on a person’s ability to operate a motor vehicle.
Call 855-290-8080. The San Diego tour bus accident lawyers at Jeffrey Estes Injury Lawyers work closely with victims who have been impacted by negligent drivers. FREE CONSULTATION.
Finally, if you booked a tour, and another party booked the tour bus company without properly vetting the company for safety, you and your family may be able to pursue a lawsuit against the booking agent. If the booking agent was aware of issues with the company and failed to warn you, or if the company claimed that a company was a tour bus with proper licensure, but the bus wasn’t properly licensed or accredited, you and your family may have a right to pursue a lawsuit under the law.
A bus accident lawyer can also speak to insurance adjusters to fight to help you receive the compensation you may deserve. While buses may carry insurance policies to protect passengers in the event of an accident, adjusters may try to find ways to pay less to victims and their families. This can mean less money to cover medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages. If you’ve been in an accident, you need the San Diego, California bus accident attorneys at Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates fighting on your side. Adjusters sometimes use formulas to estimate the value of damages in a case. However, every case and accident is unique. Our firm works tirelessly to provide adjusters with the evidence they may need to make a fair assessment of your damages and injuries.
With more than 25 years of experience, tour bus accident lawyers Jeffrey E. Estes and Alton J. Smith explore all potential causes, going after all entities that may share responsibility for the accident to maximize your potential recovery. Bus accidents can be more complex than passenger vehicle accidents. More stakeholders may be involved. Contact the San Diego, California tour bus accident attorneys at Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates today. We can fight for your rights.
Bus Hazards
There are many hazards passengers may face when riding a bus in addition to the risk of collisions. Riders may trip and fall on bus steps. Double decker buses may have winding and steep stairs. If passengers are on the stairs while the bus is in motion or if the bus suddenly stops or moves while passengers are on the stairs, they can suffer serious injuries.
Victims in bus accidents can suffer a range of serious injuries including:
- Broken bones
- Falls
- Head injuries
- Spinal cord injury
- Internal injuries
- Muscle strains
- Whiplash
- And other injuries
If you’ve been hurt, contact the tour bus accident lawyers at Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates. Our San Diego, California attorneys can fight for your rights and help you seek justice. You may be entitled to receive compensation to cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering damages.
Causes of Tour Bus Accidents in San Diego, California
In order to collect damages for your tour bus accident, your tour bus accident lawyer in San Diego, California will need to determine the cause of your tour bus accident. There are many possible factors that can lead to a tour bus accident. Causes of tour bus accidents include:
- Speeding
- Drunk driving
- Failure of the tour bus driver to follow the rules of the road (run red light, stop light)
- Failure to put in place rules to protect passenger safety (requiring all passengers to remain seated while vehicle is in motion)
- Equipment failure (failure to have proper and required safety devices or failure to properly maintain the tour bus)
- Distracted driving
- Failure of the truck company to vet its drivers (drivers hired with poor driving records, or medical issues)
These are just some factors that could lead to a tour bus accident. If you or someone you love was hurt in a tour bus accident, you and your family may be seeking answers. The tour bus accident lawyers in San Diego, California at Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates may be able to help you get the answers you need. Our tour bus accident attorneys can review the details of the accident, speak to witnesses, research the driver’s record and the company’s history with accidents and maintenance, and negotiate with insurance adjusters and negligent parties. You and your loved ones may only have a limited time to seek damages under the law. Reach out to Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates a tour bus accident law firm in San Diego, California to learn more today. We offer new clients a free initial consultation during which we can review your case and help you understand next steps.
Schedule A Free Initial Consultation with a Tour Bus Accident Lawyer in San Diego, California Today
The tour bus accident lawyer in San Diego, California at Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates may be able to assist you with your tour bus accident claim. Jeffrey E. Estes & Associates, APC, takes personal injury cases on a contingency basis, which means that you don’t pay any attorney’s fees unless we succeed in recovering compensation for you. This means that there are no initial costs to you, and that if we cannot win a recovery on your behalf, you will not be billed for our services. speak with a lawyer; or call our offices today.
