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Have you been injured in a bus accident in New Jersey? Was the accident due to a bus driver’s or company’s negligence, or were you a passenger on a city bus? Then you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries and losses, including for your medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering. However, you must move quickly to assert your rights to financial recovery for your injuries. And if you try to pursue compensation on your own, you might find yourself without the funds you need to rebuild your life.
Instead, reach out to New Jersey bus accident attorney Steven Ellman for a free initial claim evaluation. He can discuss your legal options for securing financial recovery for your accident-related injuries and losses. Let the Law Office of Steven Ellman guide you through the claims process and advocate for your right to hold the at-fault parties accountable for their negligence.
What Are Common Bus Accidents in New Jersey?
Examples of common bus accidents that occur in New Jersey include:
- NJ Transit bus accidents
- Local public transit system bus accidents
- School bus accidents
- Intercity bus accidents
- Charter bus accidents
- Airport/hotel/corporate shuttle bus accidents
- Party bus accidents
The Law Office of Steven Ellman assists clients with their recovery from these and other kinds of bus accidents:
- Head-on collisions
- Rear-end collisions
- T-bone/side-impact collisions
- Side-swipe collisions
- Rollover accidents
- Collisions with trains or trams
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
Depending on the cause or causes of a bus accident, many different parties may have liability for the injuries and losses you sustained. These liable parties could include:
- Public transit agencies such as NJ Transit
- School districts
- Third-party school bus operators
- Intercity bus lines such as Greyhound or Megabus
- Bus charter companies
- Shuttle bus companies
- Airports, hotels, universities, or healthcare facilities that operate shuttle buses
- Non-profit shuttle bus operators
- Party bus operators
What Injuries Can Someone Sustain in a New Jersey Bus Accident?
A bus’s size means these vehicles impart significant forces when colliding with smaller vehicles and other road users. These forces can easily cause catastrophic, life-altering injuries, such as:
- Lacerations
- Abrasions/road rash
- Degloving injuries
- Burns
- Dislocated joints
- Ligament sprains and tears
- Muscle/tendon strains and tears
- Broken bones
- Perforation injuries
- Internal organ injuries and internal bleeding
- Whiplash
- Nerve damage
- Herniated disc injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Facial and head injuries
- Traumatic brain injury
- Crush injuries
- Traumatic amputation or loss of limb
What Compensation Can I Expect to Recover in a New Jersey Bus Accident Claim?
New Jersey is a “no-fault” auto insurance state. That means that if you were a vehicle driver injured in a bus accident that wasn’t your fault, you must turn to your own personal injury protection (PIP) insurance first to pay for your medical bills and certain other losses.
However, suffering injuries in a bus accident in New Jersey may entitle you to seek financial recovery from those at fault for the crash. The money you might recover in a bus accident personal injury lawsuit could compensate you for:
- Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation, including ambulance service, hospitalization, surgery, medical procedures, pain medications, medical/mobility equipment, doctor’s appointments, and physical/occupational therapy
- Costs of long-term care you may need for permanent disabilities or impairments, such as home health services or housekeeping assistance
- Ongoing and future loss of income, including loss of employment benefits, if you cannot return to your job or perform other work due to injuries or disabilities
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma and distress
- Reduced enjoyment and quality of life because of physical disability or permanent, visible scarring and disfigurement
- Vehicle repair expenses or reimbursement for the cash value of your vehicle after it was totaled in a collision with the bus
Under New Jersey Statutes §59:9-2, to recover non-economic losses such as pain and suffering in a bus accident claim against a public entity such as NJ Transit or a school district, you must have suffered a permanent loss of bodily function or permanent disfigurement or dismemberment resulting in medical expenses of more than $3,600. In addition, any insurance benefits you receive for an injury caused by public entities can be deducted from whatever award you receive at trial.
What If I Am Partly at Fault in a New Jersey Bus Accident?
You may still be able to pursue bus accident compensation if you were partly at fault for the crash and your injuries. Under New Jersey’s comparative negligence rule in §2A:15-5.1 of the New Jersey Statutes, your partial fault for the bus accident will not bar your claim to financial recovery so long as your share of fault for the accident is not greater than the share of fault of the party or parties from whom you seek compensation. In other words, you can still pursue compensation as long as you are not more than 50 percent to blame for your injuries. However, any financial recovery you might be entitled to for your expenses and losses can be reduced in proportion to your share of fault for the accident.
For example, if you sustained $100,000 in expenses and losses from a bus accident for which you were 20 percent at fault, your financial recovery can be reduced by $20,000 to reflect your share of fault. You could still obtain the remaining $80,000.
Due to the impact of New Jersey’s comparative negligence rule, the Law Office of Steven Ellman thoroughly investigates clients’ accident claims to recover all available evidence to help minimize their fault and maximize their financial recovery. Evidence that we may use to build a bus accident claim includes:
- Police accident reports or bus/transit company incident reports
- Accident scene photos and videos
- Surveillance or traffic camera footage
- Dashcam or bus camera footage
- Cell phone records
- Bus/transit company dispatch records
- The bus driver’s employment and driving records
- Results of any alcohol or drug testing performed on the driver after the accident
- The bus’s inspection and maintenance records
- Post-accident vehicle inspection reports
- Data logs from the event recorder computer on the bus and any other vehicles involved in the accident
- Reports from accident reconstruction experts
You can trust New Jersey bus accident lawyer Steven Ellman to vigorously advocate on your behalf. We will work hard to hold other parties liable, defend your rights and interests if liable parties or insurers try to shift blame for the accident onto you, and minimize your financial recovery.
How Can a New Jersey Bus Accident Attorney Help Me?
Treating and rehabilitating injuries you suffered in a bus accident can leave you without the time and energy to devote to pursuing legal claims against anyone at fault for the accident. Let Steven Ellman, a bus accident lawyer in New Jersey, take care of the details of your claim so that you can focus on your physical and emotional recovery. Steven Ellman can help you secure the financial compensation and resources you need for your recovery by:
- Investigating the crash to secure critical evidence for your case, including accident reports, video footage, accident scene photos, documents, and witness testimony.
- Identifying the party or parties who can be held liable for your injuries and losses.
- Calculating the full extent of compensation you may be entitled to for your ongoing and future losses.
- Going over your legal options with you so you know what to expect at each stage of your case.
- Ensuring your claims are timely filed, especially if you have a bus accident claim against a public entity, such as NJ transit or a school district, as the New Jersey Tort Claims Act requires you to provide notice of your claim within 90 days of the accident.
- Aggressively negotiating on your behalf to secure a fair and full settlement that provides you with the resources you need to begin moving forward with your life.
- Taking your claims to trial if litigation becomes necessary to demand the results you deserve in your case.
For more than 35 years, New Jersey bus accident lawyer Steven Ellman has aggressively pursued maximum financial recovery for clients harmed in accidents throughout New Jersey. Steven has a proven reputation for developing meaningful connections with his clients and providing them with the compassionate, personal, and dedicated approach they need from a lawyer.
Steven Ellman believes that each client deserves the best possible resolution to their bus accident claim. That’s why he works tirelessly in pursuit of full compensation at the negotiating table, in arbitration, or at trial. With Steven Ellman, you will have peace of mind knowing that you have a legal advocate who truly cares about you and your well-being.
Steven Ellman will always take the time to listen to your concerns, understand your needs and goals, and provide you with the clear, honest advice you need to make informed decisions in your case.
Contact New Jersey Bus Accident Lawyer Steven Ellman Today
Contact the Law Office of Steven Ellman today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Steven Ellman can help you stand up to the bus or transit companies to demand accountability and justice for the harm you have suffered.
