California School Bus Accident Lawyer

Our attorneys in California can represent families whose children were killed or injured in school bus accidents. call us at 800-816-1529.

School bus accidents

Our team of attorneys at the law offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & associates has over 25 years of experience handling complex legal matters.

School bus accident attorneys in California assisting injured children and their families

Our attorneys at the law offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & associates in California can represent families whose children were killed or severely injured in school bus accidents. We seek monetary compensation for the pain and suffering, current and future medical expenses, rehabilitation-related costs, disability, and disfigurement, lost future earning capacity, and other needs of our clients. With millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts as a personal injury law firm in California, it’s easy to understand why so many clients turn to us in times of crisis.

Whether your child was riding the bus or attempting to board it when the accident occurred, they may have suffered catastrophic injuries. Please contact our office immediately if you or your child suffered a life-altering injury in a bus accident.

Call 800-816-1529 or contact us online to get a free consultation started.

Accident rates for school buses

On a daily basis, an estimated 26 million students ride approximately 480,000 school buses. In addition to transporting students to and from school, school buses can transport students to field trips, athletic events, and other school-sponsored activities. Even though school bus accidents are uncommon in comparison to other types of motor vehicle collisions, bus companies should never disregard the possibility of accidents and injuries.

Consider the following national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa)-reported statistics:

In the last decade, there were 1,172 fatal accidents involving school transportation vehicles in the United States. 301 school-aged children were among the fatalities. Victims included passengers on school buses, occupants of other vehicles, pedestrians, and bicyclists.

The majority of children who were killed in school bus accidents were between the ages of 5 and 13.

Injuries from catastrophic school bus accidents

When you send your child to school by bus, you have faith that the driver has received adequate training and will ensure your child’s safe arrival. However, this is not always the case. When a school bus collides with another vehicle or object, it is easy for children to strike their heads on seats or windows. In addition, many school buses roll onto their sides during accidents, causing chaos and traumatic injuries to numerous children.

Children are vulnerable to injury as pedestrians while waiting at the bus stop, boarding the bus, and exiting the bus. In such situations, children are at risk of suffering catastrophic injuries if the school bus strikes them or fails to enforce rules and regulations. Buses are large, heavy vehicles, and pedestrians have no protection against their impact; consequently, they frequently sustain multiple traumatic injuries.

• spinal cord injuries – numerous victims suffer permanent paralysis, preventing them from ever walking again and frequently necessitating assistance with the most fundamental tasks.
• traumatic brain injuries (tbi) – a severe tbi can cause a victim to remain in a coma for years, and some tbi victims never recover consciousness. Those who do regain consciousness are frequently left with numerous cognitive and physical impairments that drastically alter their lives.
• amputations – many victims of school bus accidents have crushed, shattered, or severed limbs. Whether a person experiences traumatic amputation as a result of the accident or requires surgical amputation, their lives will be irrevocably altered.
• internal injuries – when a small child is thrown around or struck by a bus, he or she can sustain severe internal injuries. Victims can sustain injuries to vital organs and experience severe internal hemorrhaging. Even with immediate trauma care, internal injuries of this nature are frequently fatal.

What compensation can I seek following a school bus accident?

At the law offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & associates, we assist families coping with the death of a child or a child’s disabling injury. Our California school bus accident attorneys have seen firsthand how severe and fatal injuries can impact families, and as a result, we are committed to protecting our clients’ rights and best interests. We are aware that no amount of money can turn back the clock and prevent the accident from occurring. However, we also recognize that our clients are entitled to receive full compensation for their losses.

We assist our clients in recovering for a variety of losses, including:

• medical expenses
• estimated lifetime costs of treatment and care
• lost opportunities • permanent disabilities and disfigurement
• lost enjoyment of life
• pain and suffering
• emotional trauma
• wrongful death

Who is responsible for my child’s injury?

If another party’s negligence led to injuries on a school bus, that party should compensate the victims for all accident-related losses. To recover such compensation, it is necessary to determine who was negligent and to provide evidence of their actions. This can be challenging, as school bus accidents can occur for a variety of reasons, and there may be multiple liable parties. When reviewing your case, our legal team will attempt to identify every potential source of liability.

We may ask a variety of questions to determine exactly who was at fault, such as:

• did the bus driver violate traffic laws?
• was the driver of the bus impaired by alcohol or drugs?
• was the bus owned by a public school district or a private company?
• was the driver a company employee, an independent contractor, or an employee of the group that rented the school bus?
• did the bus company conduct employment screenings prior to hiring?
• was the bus maintained properly?
• is it possible that defective tires or vehicles played a role?

In order to determine the cause of a specific school bus accident, our company may, when necessary or appropriate, employ investigators who collect any evidence of negligence they can find. We frequently use accident reconstruction or engineering experts, as well as medical and occupational experts who can testify to the severity of our clients’ injuries, to support their claims. In conclusion, our attorneys do everything possible to obtain compensation that allows our clients to move on with their lives.

Recovered millions of dollars for accident victims

Our California law firm is distinct from other injury firms for a reason. Because of their legal expertise, investigative prowess, and access to resources, our attorneys have obtained favorable verdicts and settlements for our clients. Our experienced attorneys represent victims of public transportation and school bus accidents throughout the state of California. We are aware that these are frequently the most challenging cases, but we are also confident in our ability to obtain the appropriate compensation our clients so frequently deserve and require to recover from their injury-related losses.

California school bus accident lawyer

Dial 800-816-1529 for a free consultation with no obligation.

You owe it to yourself and your family to investigate your legal options if your child was involved in a school bus accident in the California area. From the driver to the mechanics to the municipality, negligent parties may be liable for damages. Consult an attorney immediately for a free case evaluation.

Accidents involving school buses are among the most terrifying types of bus accidents because they involve our most precious children. Whether you are a parent or not, the thought of innocent children on their way to or from school having their promising futures snatched away is disturbing.

Despite the fact that buses are a relatively safe mode of transportation due to their large size, closely spaced seats, tall seatbacks, and required three-point safety harnesses, there have been an alarming number of school bus accidents in California.

The California bus accident attorneys at the law offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & associates are committed to investigating these accidents to determine who was negligent and at fault, so that we may improve the safety of our public transportation systems for students.

Why hire a lawyer for a school bus accident?

During those heart-stopping moments when your child is receiving medical care, contacting an attorney may be the last thing on your mind. Broken bones, whiplash, brain damage, disfigurement, internal bleeding, organ perforations, paralysis, and death are among the most frequent injuries we see in school bus accidents in California.

We can help you obtain compensation to alleviate your financial burden and hold negligent parties accountable for causing the accident. The successful completion of legal action is a necessary component of the healing process for many families. They must understand that their children’s injuries were not in vain so that a similar tragedy will not befall other parents.

• past and ongoing medical expenses may be covered by a school bus accident lawsuit
• aids for handicapped individuals and home modifications
• your lost wages while caring for an injured child;
• mental health costs for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety disorder.

Whether it has been a few weeks or a few months since your child’s school bus accident, contacting an experienced attorney for a free case evaluation will help you explore all of your available options. The sooner you consult an attorney, the better, because there is a statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit. You have up to two years to file a lawsuit involving private school buses, but only six months if the accident involved a public-school bus, according to California law.

Questions of liability in California, ca school bus mishaps

Who is at fault for these incidents?

It is sometimes accurate to assume that school bus drivers are negligent in these situations. In January 2015, for example, an Anaheim driver was charged with child endangerment after it was discovered that he had an undiagnosed medical condition that caused him to pass out while driving. Four children sustained serious injuries in the resulting bus accident, including shattered spines, broken bones, internal bleeding, and toe amputation. A Whittier school bus driver pled guilty in January 2017 to leaving a non-verbal child with special needs inside a hot bus for more than seven hours. Other incidents at the national level involved bus drivers who were impaired, texting while driving, sleep-deprived, or driving recklessly.

In addition to school bus drivers, other parties may share at least some responsibility for an accident. In April 2016, an arm of a railroad crossing pierced a school bus carrying eight children with special needs. If injuries had occurred, however, the parents could have sued the municipality responsible for maintenance. Municipalities are also held liable for collisions caused by substandard road maintenance, unsafe or malfunctioning bus crossings, and city trucks involved in collisions. For instance, the California city council agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle a group of lawsuits filed after two boys were killed in December 1995 when a malfunctioning city trash truck collided with their school bus. The investigation revealed that the truck had been flagged for mechanical issues and that the truck driver had neglected to conduct a pre-trip inspection.

When school bus companies fail to exercise due diligence in hiring, training, or supervising drivers, or when they fail to keep their fleet of buses in proper working order, they can be sued. First student inc. Agreed to pay the San Francisco unified school district and two mechanics $11.5 million after it was discovered that company buses had worn brakes, threadbare tires, and other safety issues due to improper maintenance. First student’s records revealed 300 inspection violations and misrepresentation of inspection results over a nine-month period, which could have led to accidents and injuries.

Putting at risk pedestrians and other drivers

Many of those injured in school bus-related accidents are pedestrians and other motorists. Statistics compiled by the federal government reveal that from 1975 to 2014, ninety percent of school bus-related fatalities did not involve the school bus itself. Two-thirds of the victims who were struck by the bus perished. Children riding in other vehicles accounted for 150,000 school bus-related injuries.

In 2010, the mother of a 13-year-old Harvard Westlake student whose daughter was struck in a school bus crosswalk took action. Though no one was ultimately held accountable for what the lapd termed a “terrible, heartbreaking accident,” the girl’s mother pushed for greater oversight by the California highway patrol to cut down view-obscuring eucalyptus trees, lengthen the crossing signal, show bus safety videos to students, urge cars to slow down in school zones along sunset boulevard, and consider moving drop-off locations to less busy traffic circles.

California school bus accident attorney

In California, Norman Gregory Fernandez and his team seek maximum compensation for victims of school bus accidents. The law offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & associates have investigated complex cases since 1997, resulting in millions of dollars in settlements and awards for their clients. During the entire process of building a case supported by facts and expert testimony, you can expect prompt and compassionate communication. There are no attorney fees unless we win money for you.

Get Help Now

The Law offices of Norman Gregory Fernandez & Associates has almost 3 decades of experience handling personal injury cases all over the state of California. We have handled thousands of cases and obtained millions of dollars in settlements and judgments for our clients. Call now for a no pressure free consultation with an actual attorney. 800-816-1529 extension 1. 

You can download our California Accident App for iOS and Android by clicking here and visiting our California Accident App page. This application will allow you to record and transmit all information related to your School Bus Accident case to our office.