Bus accident lawyer for city bus and transit injuries

A claim against a public bus system often starts with a written claim, due in as little as 90 days. Call for a free case review.

Call 1-888-759-9151

Free case review by phone at 1-888-759-9151 with the law firm that advertises here. Or write it down and send it.

If a city bus accident hurt you, a lawyer at the firm can check which deadlines apply to you. If your crash involved NYC Transit, the written claim has to be sent within 90 days. NJ Transit claims in New Jersey are also due within 90 days. This written claim, often called a notice of claim, is a form or letter naming the person who was hurt and saying where and when it happened. The lawsuit is the case in court, and its own deadline comes later.

Starting a bus accident claim

Small details are easy to forget, so write them down soon. To fill in the MTA claim form (the MTA runs New York City's buses and subway), you will need to:

Note the route and the number of the bus.
Write down the direction the bus was going.
Say if you were sitting or standing.

Hold on to each letter the bus agency mails you. In California, a letter saying no to your claim gives you 6 months from that letter to start a lawsuit. When no letter arrives, the limit is 2 years from the accident.

A lawyer at the firm can look at that letter and tell you what it means for you.

When is a bus driver negligent?

A driver or bus company is negligent when they fail to take proper care, and that failure is what hurt you. It can involve how the bus was driven, or the condition the bus was in.

In California, the law says that bus and train companies taking paying riders must take great care to protect those riders. On top of that, they have to keep their buses safe to use. Even the most careful driver cannot excuse a bus that was unsafe to ride.

A lawyer at the firm can go through what happened and work out who is responsible.

Injured at a bus stop

You can be hurt while you wait at the stop, while you get on, or while you get off. Injuries like these can lead to a claim, the same as one that happens on board.

Which bus system ran the bus sets your deadline, and for some systems the state where the accident happened matters too. Different bus systems have different deadlines. Each system's page has a date check: enter the day it happened and you will see the last day to send your claim and the last day to start a lawsuit.

Questions people ask after a bus accident

How much do most accident lawyers charge?

Every firm chooses its own fee, so there is no one answer. Before you sign anything, this firm gives you its fee terms in writing. On the free call you can ask how the fee would work for a case like yours.

What compensation could a bus accident bring?

There is no set amount. Your injuries and the bus system involved both shape what a claim may be worth. Some agencies have a legal limit: in Pennsylvania, SEPTA pays no more than $250,000 to any one person. A free case review is a free call with one of the firm's lawyers about your own accident.

Does Greyhound count as a city bus?

No. The ticket terms from Greyhound are the rules printed with your ticket. Those terms ask for written notice within 90 days. The deadline for a lawsuit depends on the state.

Find your bus system

Send the written claim within 90 days: MTA New York City Transit and NJ Transit (New Jersey)
Send the written claim within 180 days: TriMet (Portland) and Valley Metro (Phoenix)
Send the written claim within 182 days: RTD (Denver)
Send the written claim within 6 months: SEPTA (Philadelphia), DART (Dallas), METRO (Houston), LA Metro (Los Angeles), Muni (San Francisco), AC Transit (East Bay) and OCTA (Orange County)
Send the written claim within 1 year: Maryland Transit Administration (Baltimore)
Send the written claim within 2 years: MBTA (the T, Boston)
Send the written claim within 3 years: Miami-Dade Transit (Metrobus, Metrorail, Metromover), King County Metro (Seattle area) and Sound Transit (Seattle area)
No written claim; file a lawsuit within 1 year: CTA (Chicago)
No written claim; file a lawsuit within 2 years: MARTA (Atlanta)
No written claim; file a lawsuit within 3 years (DC, Maryland), 2 years (Virginia): Metro (WMATA, Washington, DC)

180 days, 182 days and 6 months are close but not the same: each comes from that state's own law.

Bus not on the list? Call 1-888-759-9151 and the firm will check the deadline for it.