School bus accidents are thankfully rare, due to the high degree of oversight on these vehicles. Although school buses are heavily regulated by the government and school systems, however, it’s still possible for your child to be injured in a dangerous school bus accident.
When that happens, it may be hard for you to know where to seek compensation. From the school system itself to the bus driver to other drivers on the road, how can you tell who is responsible for your child’s serious injuries?
At Koenigsberg & Associates Law Offices, we’ll help you explore all the possible options for recovering damages. Skilled at investigating complex vehicle collisions, our Brooklyn school bus accident team can take the stress out of your lawsuit and resolve the matter as quickly and effectively as possible.
Identifying the Right Parties in a School Bus Accident
The most difficult part of a school bus accident claim is identifying the responsible party. The state of New York happens to be a “no-fault” state, where most drivers rely on personal injury protection (PIP) insurance coverage from their own provider. Of course, whenever vulnerable children are involved, it’s possible to seek compensation regardless of “fault” for the car accident. This is especially true if your child sustained catastrophic injuries that go above the PIP threshold for your insurance provider.
School bus drivers are technically employees of the school district, which means that the district bears the primary responsibility for keeping kids safe. If a child is injured on a school bus – whether because of other kids or because of an inattentive school bus driver – the school district may be considered liable.
Here are some of the other parties that may be involved in your school bus accident claim:
- The school bus manufacturer
- The auto repair shop that maintains the school bus
- Another driver on the road
- Insurance providers for the school district
- The property owner at a bus stop or residential area
- The municipal government
- …and many others.
How We Investigate a Bus Accident
As personal injury attorneys, we have the means and the experience to fully investigate your school bus accident claim and determine who was at fault. By gathering witnesses, inquiring with the right local and state agencies, and talking to everyone involved in the crash, we can often get a clear picture of where the accident began.
If the school district bears some liability for your child, it’s even more important to hire an experienced attorney. The statute of limitations for suing a school is much shorter than for ordinary car accidents or personal injury claims, which means that you need to act fast in order to receive compensation. At Koenigsberg & Associates Law Offices, we make the process as streamlined as possible, so that you can focus on caring for your child and helping them recover from injuries.
Injured in a school bus accident? For more information, give us a call at (718) 690-3132 today.