Seattle Bus Accident Lawyer

Bus accidents can happen for several different reasons: inadequate training, poor maintenance, distracted driving, and, worst of all, deliberate recklessness. Our Seattle bus accident lawyers have seen it all, and we want to help bus accident victims like you recover.

Phillips Law Firm and its team in Washington State have worked on behalf of this community for over 20 years. We’ve served 20,000 victims and secured hundreds of millions in damages for our clients. You can trust our Seattle personal injury lawyers to pursue a successful claim on your behalf starting today.

Schedule your free bus accident case consultation today.

Who Can You Hold Responsible for Your Recent Bus Accident?

Your right to identify the responsible parties involved in your accident requires you to bring forward evidence of unreasonable negligence. You cannot file an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit in Washington State unless you can prove that someone else:

• Owed you a duty of care at the time of your accident
• Engaged in unreasonable negligence, violating the duty of care
• Caused your accident
• Made you endure wrongful economic losses

Fortunately, the evidence that an experienced bus accident attorney in Seattle, WA, can use on behalf of bus accident victims like yourself is varied. Our team has capitalized on physical debris, bystander statements, expert witness statements, police reports, electronic data, video footage, and photos to argue for our clients’ right to fair compensation.

We can gather all of this evidence while you focus on physically recovering from your losses. Once we understand what negligence contributed to your accident, we can name a liable party, such as a bus company, bus driver, school district, or unaffiliated party.

Can Contracts or Sovereign Immunity Impact Your Recovery?

Contracts can directly impact your right to name certain parties liable for your losses. If you get into an accident with a privately owned company, that bus company may claim that an independent contractor needs to assume responsibility for your losses.

However, an experienced attorney can investigate the contract a bus driver works on to determine whether or not that’s really the case. Most of the time, bus drivers who meet certain criteria can default responsibility for an accident back onto a bus company – and all bus drivers on duty benefit from their company’s insurance policy.

If you get into an accident with a city bus, sovereign immunity can make it harder for you to sue the bus driver, considering their status as a government employee. Fortunately, our legal team can step in, explore the boundaries of sovereign immunity, and preserve your right to action.

When Should You Contact a Seattle Bus Accident Lawyer?

Recovering from any accident takes time and resources. We want you to focus on your health without sacrificing your right to legal recourse. That’s why our team offers legal representation on a contingency fee basis. We only get paid when we finalize your successful claim.

Your case consultations come free of charge and do not obligate you to move forward with a case. It’s entirely up to you to decide how you want to pursue justice for your losses. Our team will work to make you as comfortable as possible with your proceedings, all while sparing you any financial stress.

If you’re ready to learn more about our available services, you can schedule a free case consultation with a member of our legal team right now.

Seattle Bus Accident Lawyer Near Me (800) 708-6000

How Can You Financially Recover From a Bus Accident?

If you want to take back control of your financial situation after a bus accident, our team recommends that you pursue one of the following recovery options:

File an Insurance Claim with a Relevant Provider

Every on-duty bus driver has the right to benefit from an insurance company’s protection following an accident in King County. Your first instinct following a collision may be to reach out to that insurance company to discuss your losses. While this is a sound idea, we recommend waiting until you have a Seattle bus accident attorney on your side.

Most common carriers will connect you with an insurance claims adjuster. That insurance adjuster does not want to help you financially recover from your accident. They want to minimize your recovery and save their business money. They can make the claims process more difficult in their attempt to do so.

Fortunately, our attorneys can step in and counter any bad-faith attempts to deny you coverage. We can prevent insurance companies from trying to foist responsibility for an accident back onto another driver by claiming that the driver didn’t meet their protective criteria.

File a Personal Injury Claim Against a Negligent Party

Filing an insurance claim won’t always get you the financial support you need to recover from a collision with a negligent driver. If you’re struggling to make your voice heard, a personal injury attorney can help you file a personal injury claim.

Bus crash claims allow you to bring information about your losses forward for judicial consideration. These claims do not require you to go to trial but instead give you the right to do so if a negligent party refuses to acknowledge the true value of your losses.

You can initially invite a liable party forward for settlement negotiations. If those negotiations fall flat, your attorney can prepare you for a trial, which will involve the following:

• Discovery
• Opening statements
• Examination
• Cross-examination
• Closing statements
• Deliberation and verdict

Call or text (800) 708-6000 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form

What Compensation Can You Request for Your Losses?

It’s going to take time to figure out what kind of compensation you can ask for following a bus accident. No two cases look alike, which is why our team individually investigates your right to include certain economic and non-economic losses in your request for support.

If you want to maximize your right to accident compensation, we recommend keeping comprehensive records of all of the expenses you can tie to your recent accident. That means keeping track of your medical expenses, accounting for efforts to replace damaged property, and accounting for lost wages or reduced income.

For a free legal consultation with a bus accident lawyer serving Seattle, call
(800) 708-6000

What Should You Know About Your Case’s Statute of Limitations?

If you want to take legal action against a liable party involved in your collision, you need to act within Washington State’s personal injury statute of limitations. According to Wash. Rev. Code § 4.16.080(2), you have three years and no longer to finalize your personal injury claim and initiate the legal process.

You need to stay on top of this deadline if you want to take advantage of the rights available to you. Unfortunately, missing your case’s filing deadline can see you denied your right to legal action.

You also need to account for any modifications governmental entities or other parties may make to this deadline. Sovereign and qualified immunity can give you less time than you expect to file a personal injury lawsuit. Fortunately, your bus accident attorneys in Seattle, WA, can help you jump through the necessary hoops before time runs out.

It’s Time to Get Justice for Your Losses

Bus accidents are often caused by driver negligence or mechanical failures. They have a higher fatality rate than car accidents and are also more likely to result in brain and head injuries than auto accidents.

That said, seeking compensation for injuries sustained in a bus accident can be challenging because multiple parties may be liable. When government agencies, private companies, and equipment manufacturers are involved, it helps to have an experienced bus accident lawyer in Seattle, WA, take on the case.

At Phillips Law Firm, we have been handling bus accident claims for decades. We will leave no stone unturned as we investigate and identify who is responsible and fight for the compensation and justice that you deserve. You can book your free case evaluation with our team members today.

Real People. Real Justice. (800) 708-6000