Buses are the backbone of public transportation in the city of San Antonio, and every day the VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority fields hundreds of vehicles to move riders to and from work, school, or daily errands. Unfortunately, accidents occur on a regular basis between the busses and paratransit vehicles employed by VIA and the private vehicles of other drivers.
It is important to understand that municipally-operated bus accidents are more complex than the everyday car accident because there are many public regulatory agencies and people responsible for making sure drivers are licensed, busses are well-maintained, and safety procedures are properly enforced.
If you or a loved one have been injured or sustained losses through VIA bus accidents in San Antonio – or worse – you will want to contact our skilled San Antonio bus accident attorneys at Carabin Shaw. You may be entitled to compensation.
Legal Aspects of Bus AccidentsBus accidents in San Antonio are no joke. When a bus is involved, accidents become exponentially more dangerous. Busses carry more potential victims. For each of those victims, busses lack many safety features such as seat-belts, air bags, and other equipment, multiplying their vulnerability. The worst factor of all is the fact that, in a collision, busses are reduced to 40,000 lb hulks of steel strapped to a sizeable tank of natural gas, hurtling through the street at high momentum.
For these reasons, bus companies are legally responsible to provide their passengers with the utmost duty of care. Thus, they operate as what lawyers call common carriers. This is a legal “term of art” that gives passengers more legal rights and holds the transportation operators ethically and financially responsible for the lives entrusted to them.
For public transportation busses, this is doubly true– not only do they have a duty to provide safe and quality service because they are entrusted with your personal welfare, but because they have been entrusted to do by the public and are funded by public money.
Under the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, municipalities like San Antonio are liable in a single occurrence for up to $100,000 for destruction of personal property and up to $500,000 for cases of bodily injury or wrongful death.
This liability is not limited to the riders involved in bus accidents - it extends to drivers of other vehicles, property owners, pedestrians, and everyone else directly affected by the tragedy. If you believe you have suffered as member to any of these parties, contact our lawyers immediately.
Don’t let those responsible off the hook. City leadership and transit authorities know they have a duty to protect and serve the wellbeing of their people. Hold them to it with the help of the seasoned attorneys at Carabin Shaw.
Let Carabin Shaw Represent You TodayThe law offices of Carabin Shaw are available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week because public transportation doesn’t take days off, and neither do bus accidents in San Antonio.
If you have been involved in a San Antonio public transportation collision in any way, shape, or form, call us today. Our experienced and professional attorneys will listen to your story with careful attention, answer your questions and concerns, and take the time to explain your rights as a victim. You need a San Antonio bus accident attorney who knows what they are doing– don’t settle for less.
Put Carabin Shaw on your side, and our team of lawyers will fight for your rights. The initial consultation is free– you have nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain. Give us a call in San Antonio today at 210-222-2288, or toll-free at 800-862-1260, or contact us online through the convenient form on this site.