SUCCESSFULLY SUING FOR BUS & TRUCK ACCIDENTS
Many lawyers in New York are unwilling to take on bus and truck accident cases because of their complexity. The bus and truck accident lawyers at Gurfein Douglas in New York are fearless, meticulous, and unafraid of a challenge. If you or someone you know has been severely injured or wrongful death in a bus or truck accident due to the negligence of a driver or company, you may be eligible for compensation.
What Types of Compensation Are Available in a Commercial Traffic Accident?
- There are three areas of compensation:
- it can cover medical expenses (both present and future)
- loss of income (both present and future)compensation for physical pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
- attorney’s fees
In New York, you can receive compensation for an accident even if you are partially responsible. New York follows the Pure Comparative Negligence rule. If you are 30% responsible for the accident, you can still get 70% of the compensation.
Lawsuits from bus and truck accidents can be more complicated than car accidents. Truck and bus accident cases can involve multiple defendants, like bus or truck companies in different states. Federal courts often hear these commercial vehicle accidents as a result.
Gurfein Douglas Lawyers with an Edge pride themselves on not stopping until our clients get justice. Our principals, Richard Gurfein and Preston Douglas, have degrees in engineering and biochemistry. They find technical details in your bus or truck accident lawsuit. Other attorneys often miss these details.
Trucking and Bus companies must have relatively large insurance policies, often in the multi-million dollar range, and the counterparty can be multiple entities. Our lawyers know what insurance companies consider when assessing claims, building your case, going to trial, or negotiating favorable settlements,
New York City’s bus network is one of the country’s most extensive, with 5,710 daily bus trips transporting over 2.5 million passengers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. At the national level, over 700 million passengers are using buses yearly. With the economic downturn and gasoline price hikes, more and more people are resorting to bus transportation.
Accidents Happen When They Do You Need to Defend Your Rights
Despite buses generally having a solid safety record, accidents involving buses happen regularly. According to the University of Michigan’s 2010 study titled “Type of Motor Carrier and Driver History in Fatal Bus Crashes,” Sixty-three thousand buses are involved in crashes yearly.
The study showed that “transit and school bus drivers were the least likely to contribute or cause an accident, while intercity and charter buses were associated with significantly higher driver error.” Only recently, during rush hour, two buses collided in the Lincoln Tunnel, which links New York City and New Jersey, injuring over thirty people. Contrary to popular opinion, buses are not safer than cars. Despite their relatively small share in total motor vehicle accidents, the number of bus accidents per million miles is almost the same as the number of car accidents.
The most common bus accidents involve front, back, and side collisions and collisions with immovable objects, pedestrians, and bystanders. Not only do bus accidents cause injuries and fatalities, but they can also cause substantial property damage. The causes of bus accidents are very diverse, with the most frequent being driver’s failure to yield. Also, research has shown that bus drivers over 55 years of age are more likely to cause accidents due to driver errors.
Furthermore, quite a few bus drivers need proper training from their employers. Although bus companies are required to carry out adequate vehicle maintenance regularly, some don’t comply with government regulations in this matter. If this is the case, the bus company could be held responsible for serious accidents resulting from their negligent behavior.
TRUCK ACCIDENT LAWYERS NYC
According to the Federal Motor Safety Carrier Safety Administration, in 2009, 5.5 million truck accidents were recorded in the United States, resulting in $48 billion in damages to people and property. In 2010, 11,572 truck crashes were reported in New York State alone, with an astonishing 45% of those occurring between 6 am and noon. Most of these accidents were due to fatigue after a long night of driving. The statistics compiled by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles corroborate this, providing information about suing for bus and truck accidents in New York.w that the human factor was to blame in almost 80% of truck accidents in 2010.
Under federal motor carrier safety law, to drive commercial trucks, drivers must be certified every two months as physically and mentally fit to drive. They also need to meet stringent health criteria. For instance, the drivers cannot have a history of diabetes, heart disease (or any other cardiovascular problem), respiratory distress, high blood pressure, rheumatic, arthritic, orthopedic, muscular, neuromuscular, and or vascular diseases, epilepsy, mental or psychiatric illness, as well as be able to see at least 20/40 (Snellen) and hear without a hearing aid. Additionally, to comply with the law, they must keep a logbook detailing their “hours of service,” namely how much they sleep and rest compared to how much time they spend loading, unloading, driving, stopping, inspecting, fueling, and eating. Truck, van, and bus drivers cannot consume alcohol at least four hours before going.
Here are more worrying facts:
- A collision with a large truck causes one out of eight traffic fatalities.
- Nearly 80 percent of all large truck accidents involve more than one vehicle other than the truck.
- Last year, trucks accounted for more than 100,000 accidents, 23,000 injuries, and more than 4,000 fatalities in the USA.
- Truck accidents often involve drivers with out-of-state licenses, multiple insurance policies, and companies cutting corners on tires, safety inspection, and weight limits — putting profits before public safety.
- More than 150,000 accidents last year involving cars and trucks were the truck driver’s fault.
At Gurfein Douglas LLP, you can rely on our scientific and engineering knowledge and years of experience to uncover the story that the untrained eye might miss. Bus and Truck accident trials will take more time than a settlement, but our skilled personal injury lawyers have won millions for their clients in trials. They may get punitive damages awarded by a judge or jury. In the video, learn more about why Richard Gurfein and Preston Douglas are the Lawyers With An Edge if you or a loved one has experienced severe injury due to the negligence of a bus or truck driver and their organization.
Suing New York Transit Authority for a Bus Accident
Brenda Lewis sued the New York City Transit Authority because a city bus ran over a young boy’s legs in a bus/pedestrian accident and won a $6,783,203 settlement after a trial.
At Gurfein Douglas LLP, you can rely on our scientific and engineering knowledge and years of experience to uncover the story that the untrained eye might miss. Bus and Truck accident trials will take more time than a settlement, but our skilled personal injury lawyers have won millions for their clients in trials. They may get punitive damages awarded by a judge or jury. In the video, learn more about why Richard Gurfein and Preston Douglas are the Lawyers With An Edge if you or a loved one has experienced severe injury due to the negligence of a bus or truck driver and their organization.
