When you think of school buses, you think of safety. After all, children ride them every day, and their bright yellow coloring should be easy to spot. But like any vehicle on the road, school buses can be dangerous to other cars, pedestrians, and cyclists. Their size and inability to quickly stop or turn make them even more deadly.
School bus accidents can cause severe and life-threatening injuries, leading to medical bills and damages that quickly add up. This is why you need a strong law firm with years of experience dealing in personal injury cases. The school bus accident attorneys at Pastrana & García Injury Law are here to fight for you.
How Can Pastrana & García Law Firm Help After a Bus Accident in Pflugerville?
After an accident, your primary concern should be your safety and recovery, but you also need to be thinking about your financial recovery and who will deal with the insurance companies that should be paying for your medical bills. Our firm can provide that legal care.
Our results speak for themselves. You can expect the professionalism and dedication from our team of accident lawyers that comes with years of experience in bus and other types of accidents.
- Our lawyers have over 30 years of practicing law between them.
- Our firm focuses solely on personal injury cases, meaning you’re working with people immersed in this type of practice.
- We’ve won millions for our clients over the decades that we’ve been working for the people of Pflugerville, Texas, and the greater Central Texas area.
- Our bilingual team is client-focused; our job is to make sure the people who hire us receive justice and adequate compensation.
One of the benefits of having a lawyer on your side during a personal injury case is that we’ll take over dealing with insurance companies. We’ll field their calls and offers and cultivate a strong case for you. You’ll receive personal attention on your case as we:
- Investigate the cause of the crash and find the responsible parties
- Take care of all necessary paperwork related to your personal injury case
- Gather and review evidence, including talking to witnesses and requesting police reports
- Calculate what you’re owed, taking into account the physical and mental damages
- Follow up on insurance company offers and negotiate in your best interest regarding medical bills, lost wages, and other damages
- If no settlement is reached, we’ll step into court with our strong case, ready to fight so that you can receive the compensation for your injuries that you deserve to heal and thrive
Our team of attorneys knows that healing isn’t just physical. One thing that sets Pastrana & García Injury Law apart is that we focus not only on external injuries but also on the mental health of our clients. You know you’re in good hands with our firm.
How Common Are Bus Accidents?
Over 20 million children ride school buses daily across the country, with over 400,000 school buses in use. And in 2021, over 100 people were killed in school bus accidents in the United States. The people who are at the most risk are those who are in smaller vehicles or who are pedestrians. In Texas alone, during the school year of 2021 to 2022, there were 1412 accidents involving school buses.
In general, large vehicles account for a good portion of roadway injuries.
In 2020, The U.S. Department of Transportation reported that over 700 people were involved* in bus crashes across the United States. Texas has a high share of that number. For example, even though the Zero Vision Texas chapter is actively working with Capital Metro to reduce the number of bus and transportation crashes across the city, the latest estimates of bus crashes total over 500 per year in Austin.
The damages that bus crashes cause both people and property are extensive, and the crashes themselves often involve multiple vehicles, which can complicate insurance matters. The situation can be confusing because there may be multiple people with claims for the same accident. That is why it’s important to have a solid school bus lawyer assist you with your personal injury case; we’ll help you work out the tricky details.
How to Stay Safer Around Buses and Large Vehicles
To help you stay safer on the roadways around buses, remember these tips:
- Always pay attention to the road; driving distracted is one of the main ways that accidents happen.
- When passing buses, school buses, or other large vehicles, be extra cautious and make sure that the bus isn’t changing lanes.
- Don’t linger in a school bus’s blind spots, and pay attention when they’re making turns.
- Don’t cut directly in front of a bus when changing lanes; allow some space so they don’t have to slow down suddenly.
- If you are a pedestrian or cyclist, always be aware of your surroundings.
Even when you’re careful, accidents still happen. That’s why our law firm is here for you and your family if you’ve experienced a devastating bus accident.
What Is a Pflugerville Bus Accident Case Worth?
Bus accident cases can be worth a lot of money because the people who are most often hurt are pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists, including motorcyclists. The damage that buses can cause to smaller vehicles and unprotected citizens can be extensive, leading to astronomical medical bills and recovery time and, consequently, more compensation.
Bus accidents may include dangerous situations like pile-ups, rear-ending, or rollovers. Injuries from these serious bus accidents include broken bones, head injuries, nerve damage, and other injuries that require a long time to heal, upending the victim’s work and life.
It’s hard to estimate exactly what your individual case will be worth, as each claim’s damages, injuries, and aftermaths are unique. The bus accident lawyers at Pastrana & García Injury Law will want to talk with you about your experience and how it’s affected your daily life and loved ones before we give you an estimate on the compensation you might receive. We’ll be able to estimate the damages and take charge of your case so that the insurance companies don’t take advantage of you and try to give you less than you deserve.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Bus Accident Victims?
Our clients who have been injured in bus accidents can expect us to value their compensation in economic and non-economic damages. Economic or monetary damages include the totaling of anything that is calculable, including:
- Medical bills, such as hospital stays or visits, surgeries, or procedures from the accident
- The wages that you lost from taking time off of work because of the accident
- The wages that you may continue to lose because of continued time off work; this includes wages lost for short-term healing needs, as well as possible long-term career adjustments
- The cost of medications needed to treat your injury
- Continuing medical care needed to treat your injuries
Other monetary damages may be awarded, depending on your situation.
Damages that don’t have a price tag attached to them are more difficult to estimate, which is why the bus accident attorneys at Pastrana & García Injury Law are well-equipped to aid your case. We make sure that the following is included in your compensation:
- The cost of pain and suffering
- The calculation of decreased quality of life, both mentally and physically; this might include treatment for anxiety, PTSD, or depression due to the accident
- Emotional distress
- Other issues that may arise as a result of the accident
The attorneys at our firm are always aware of people’s shifting situations, and make sure to understand how your accident affects you and your life.
A Note About Mental Health
Emotional distress after an accident can greatly affect our clients’ lives. This can manifest as mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These issues may suddenly appear after an accident or may worsen if the victim already has these illnesses.
Mental health issues can affect everyday functions and can alter our client’s lives as much as physical injuries. Our lawyers are empathetic to the situations our clients are in. Our entire staff is understanding and compassionate; from the moment you walk through our doors, you’ll be treated with the courtesy you deserve.
Statutes of Limitations in Texas
While the above forms of damages are available to you for compensation, you only have two years to file your personal injury claim for a bus accident. The State of Texas has a statute of limitations or timeframe in which you may request compensation for personal injuries. From the date of the accident, your two-year clock starts. After the two years are over, you cannot pursue compensation for your injuries.
While two years may seem like a long time, those months can move quickly. Having a lawyer from Pastrana & García Injury Law can help you navigate the complexities of the legal system, and personal injury can make the confusing, frustrating process more manageable.
Contact Pastrana & García Injury Law Today
Our doors are open to the communities of Pflugerville and the surrounding communities throughout Central Texas. When a bus accident upends your life, we’re here to help you and your loved ones recover.
Don’t wait to contact a school bus accident lawyer. Our firm can take on your case with experience, professionalism, and compassion. Call our offices today. Pastrana & García Injury Law is dedicated to helping our clients through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
*Statistic from page 3 of the U.S. Department of Transportation “LARGE TRUCK AND BUS CRASH FACTS 2020”
