Public Transportation / Mass Transit Accidents
Public Transportation companies are heavily regulated and monitored to ensure that passengers are carried safely to their destinations. When these companies fail to comply with applicable regulations and/or when their drivers/operators act negligently or recklessly, accidents can occur. Given the number of people using public transportation daily and the number of people on the street on any given day, the outcome can be devastating, to the victims as well as their families.
Notwithstanding the devastation, the claims process for these types of cases is generally more complex and burdensome than ordinary car accidents and personal injury incidents. There are special legal considerations when suing governmental entities, such as those in charge of certain public transportation services, including a short window to file a notice of claim. Failure to file notice on time may mean that you are outside the statute of limitations, and once the statute of limitations expires, you cannot recover compensation, even for permanent injury or death! There are also immediate concerns regarding the preservation of critical evidence which is unique to trains and buses that must be dealt with as soon as possible after a public transportation accident.
It is important to note that public transportation accident claims — like all injury claims involving public transit government agencies in California — must be made within six months of the injury or you lose your right to recover. This is a shorter statute of limitations period than for most personal injury claims, which is generally two years. That means after such an accident, you need to retain counsel right away, to preserve your rights and secure your ability to recover.
Venerable Injury Law represents clients/victims in all types of public transportation accidents, including:
- Buses hitting pedestrians or other drivers.
- Buses stopping or starting too quickly, causing injuries to passengers.
- AmTrak and passenger train accidents.
- Cargo train accidents hitting pedestrians or vehicles on the highway.
- Accidents caused by disrepair to the commercial vehicle, including tractor trailers and taxis, bus or train.
We will thoroughly investigate how the public transportation accident occurred and what should have been done to protect the injured individual. We will seek full compensation to cover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Venerable Injury Law has a long and successful record of obtaining fair settlements and substantial jury verdicts in all types of public transportation accidents in Southern California courts against various MTA bus systems, including Metro Transitway (Metro Liner), Metro Local, Metro Rapid and Metro Express.