Generally, traveling by bus is safe and convenient, whether traveling out of Jackson from the Greyhound Station on West Capitol Street, entrusting your children to school buses each day, or hopping on a JATRAN bus to get around town. Unfortunately, a bus’s size and the increased number of passengers compared to cars means an accident can be devastating.
If you are injured as a bus passenger or if a bus slams into your vehicle, reach out to our team of experienced injury attorneys immediately. You might be eligible for compensation from the bus driver, the bus company, or the government if you were injured on a public carrier. A Jackson bus accident lawyer at Reaves Law Firm, PLLC is skilled in battling public and private carriers to get you the monetary damages you need to recover for your losses.
Public buses are owned by a government entity that runs them for the convenience of the people, while private carriers are owned by non-government entities whose goal is to make money. Jackson Public Schools and JATRAN buses are government-owned. Greyhound, hotel shuttle busses, and private charter buses are owned by businesses. People injured in bus accidents will find that filing a lawsuit looks a lot different depending on whether the defendant is the government, the bus driver, or a corporate-owned bus. A seasoned bus crash attorney from our Jackson firm understands the procedures used to file successful lawsuits.
Bus accidents happen for several reasons, and they are all based on someone’s negligence. A private carrier can be vicariously liable for an employee’s negligent acts along with the employee. For instance, if a bus driver is intoxicated and rolls the bus at high speed, slamming into an oncoming car, the bus and car passengers probably have a case against the driver and the company employing the driver if the accident occurs in the scope of employment. If the bus malfunctioned, the bus manufacturer or maker of its parts may be a viable defendant. After investigating the circumstances of a specific bus collision in Jackson, a skilled legal professional can determine the proper defendants.
Governments maintain sovereign immunity, the right to avoid most lawsuits, because governments are comprised of citizens and are in place to provide services for them, not to make a huge profit. Mississippi enacted a Tort Claim Act in its Annotated Codes, Chapter 11, Section 46. Under Miss. Code Ann. § 11-46-11, a plaintiff must follow special procedures and be limited in other ways when filing a negligence lawsuit against public employees and the local or state government. The provisions include the following:
Suing a government entity is more complicated and may not generate as much compensation as a lawsuit against a private carrier. But those injured in bus wrecks could know where they stand and what financial recovery may be available by consulting a knowledgeable Jackson attorney.
Any bus collision will be catastrophic because of the sheer size of a bus. More people will be hurt because of how many it can carry. Severe injuries will lead to a long recovery and your need for compensation to pay for it. Problems arise if you are trying to figure out who the defendants are and how to sue a government body if you were injured on a JATRAN bus.
Our team can help. Although government awards are limited, they are available if you follow the rules, which differ from negligence lawsuits against private sector buses. Call a Jackson bus accident lawyer at Reaves Law Firm, PLLC today to learn how we could seek justice and a comprehensive damages award for you.
