Wondering if you should file a lawsuit after a bus accident?

For many Washington residents, taking the bus is a daily activity. Some take the bus to go to school, others to go to work, others to get around in town. Whatever the reason, each time a Washington resident gets on a bus they run the risk of being involved in an accident. The unfortunate few who are caught in a bus accident may need to decide whether they want to file a lawsuit. To figure out whether doing so is a smart decision, ask yourself the following three questions.

First, who was at fault? To win a lawsuit, a person must show that someone else is at fault. Some situations will be easier than others to decipher. For instance, if the bus driver violated a right of way, that would be strong evidence showing that the bus driver was at fault.

Second, who does the bus driver work for? This question is important because if a bus driver works for a company, city or school district, then those entities can be brought into the lawsuit. That is because those entities are “vicariously liable” for what their agents do. Normally, a bus driver will be an agent. But, some trickier spots are, for example, when the driver is on lunch break or running a personal errand at the time of the accident.

Third, what are the steps for filing a lawsuit? Not following the right steps in the right way can undermine a lawsuit before it begins. These procedural hurdles are especially important when the bus is controlled by a governmental entity. In these cases, the process can get complex.

Source: FindLaw, “School Bus Crashes: 3 Questions Before You Sue,” Aditi Mukherji, Feb. 24, 2014

Matthew D. Dubin

Matthew D. Dubin has represented injured people throughout Washington since 1995. He is the founding attorney of Dubin Law Group and focuses his practice on personal injury claims involving motor vehicle accidents, dangerous products, premises liability, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death.

Education

• License Number: 25378
• University of Washington School of Law, Seattle, Washington – J.D.
• Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut – B.A.

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