Bus accidents in Anderson, Indiana, may not be quite as common as car accidents. But, when they do happen, passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers can suffer severe injuries. If you have been injured in a bus accident, our experienced Anderson bus accident lawyers can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Your chances of getting into a bus accident in Anderson, Indiana, are greater than you might think. Multiple bus services operate in and around the city. The most well-known is probably the City of Anderson Transit System (CATS). CATS was first established in 1973, and in 2022, Anderson opened the new CATS Bus Terminal on Jackson Street.
Other bus services in Anderson include Hayden Anderson Transit System (which operates school buses), Greyhound, and Transportation for Rural Areas of Madison County (TRAM).
Even though bus services vet and train their drivers, accidents can still happen. If you need an experienced bus accident attorney in Anderson, Indiana, contact us today for a free consultation.
How Often Do Bus Accidents Occur in Anderson, Indiana?
Bus accidents are relatively uncommon, at least compared to other kinds of vehicle accidents. In 2022, there were 332 bus accidents in Indiana and 15,033 bus accidents nationwide.
When bus accidents do occur, they tend to cause more injuries than average. In 2022 in Indiana, the injury rates per 1,000 occupants in crashes varied by speed and vehicle type:
- All Vehicles (Average): 119.4 not speeding; 209.5 speeding
- Buses: 99.0 not speeding; 333.3 speeding
- School Buses: 146.3 not speeding; 313.7 speeding
- Passenger Cars: 122.5 not speeding; 212.4 speeding
- SUVs: 124.9 not speeding; 214.8 speeding
- Vans: 120.3 not speeding; 178.1 speeding
- Pickup Trucks: 88.9 not speeding; 166.5 speeding
When most people think of bus accidents, they imagine transit buses, but school bus crashes can be dangerous and even deadly.
Many of the people injured in these accidents are not school bus passengers. In 2022, nationwide injuries and deaths in school bus crashes were approximately as follows:
- Occupants of Other Vehicles: 5,000 injuries; 76 deaths
- School Bus Passengers: 6,000 injuries; 8 deaths
- School Bus Drivers: 900 injuries; 4 deaths
- Bicyclists: Fewer than 500 injuries; 2 deaths
- Pedestrians: 500 injuries; 13 deaths
- Other Non-Occupants: Fewer than 500 injuries; 1 death
- Total: 12,500 injuries; 104 deaths
For immediate legal assistance from an experienced Anderson bus accident lawyer, contact our legal team today. We offer free case evaluations and are never too busy to speak with you.
What Are Some Types of Accidents Involving Public Transit and School Buses in Indiana?
Both transit buses and school buses are large vehicles, and their size makes it possible for them to be involved in a number of different crash types:
- Head-on collisions
- Collisions while making left turns
- Collisions while making right turns
- The bus broadsiding another vehicle
- Another vehicle broadsiding the bus
- The bus rear-ending another vehicle
- Another vehicle rear-ending the bus
- Sideswipe accidents
- Accidents in loading zones
- Accidents where another vehicle cuts off the bus
Because public transit and school buses make so many stops, rear-end accidents involving buses tend to be especially common.
How Are These Accidents Involving Public Transit Happening?
There are many possible causes of bus accidents. However, our experienced Anderson bus accident attorneys have seen that some causes are more common than others.
Negligence on the Part of the Bus Company
Buses are vehicles that require frequent maintenance. Unfortunately, some bus companies don’t regularly maintain their fleets or make necessary repairs, and that can have disastrous consequences.
For example, brake pads on buses (and other vehicles) must periodically be changed. If a bus company doesn’t take steps to ensure brake pads are changed before they start to wear out, this lapse can put bus drivers, passengers, and other people on the road in danger.
When brake pads are too worn, the bus’s stopping distance increases considerably. It is much more likely that the bus in question will be involved in an accident.
Maintenance isn’t the only area where bus companies can be negligent. Some may not thoroughly screen drivers before hiring them. Others may fail to give drivers adequate training.
For instance, if a bus driver is intoxicated while driving and causes an accident, they could be held liable for any injuries. However, suppose that a victim’s lawyer discovers that the driver had multiple OWI convictions but the bus company hired them anyway. The bus company may be liable as well.
Negligence on the Part of the Bus Driver
Like other drivers, a bus driver can cause an accident through their own negligence. These are some common examples:
- Texting while driving
- Driving while intoxicated
- Speeding
- Failing to use turn signals
- Tailgating
- Disobeying traffic signs
Driving while fatigued is especially common among bus drivers. While drivers are legally required to take breaks after driving a certain number of hours, some disregard those regulations. If a bus company pressures a driver to disregard break requirements, the company itself may be liable as well.
Negligence on the Part of Another Driver
The fact that a bus is involved in an accident doesn’t necessarily mean that the bus driver made a mistake. In many bus accident cases, the cause is another driver’s negligence.
Blind Spots
Like commercial truck drivers, bus drivers must be aware of the blind spots that come with such a large vehicle. A bus driver may cause an accident because they can’t see a car, pedestrian, or cyclist in one of the bus’s blind spots.
Hazardous Weather Conditions
Bus drivers are trained (or should be trained) on how to operate their vehicles when road conditions are poor. However, icy roads, poor visibility, and other weather-related hazards can sometimes cause accidents.
Underinflated Tires
Underinflated bus tires can be incredibly dangerous. When tire pressure is too low, heat can build up extremely quickly. That can lead to tire blowouts, which can cause even skilled bus drivers to lose control of the vehicle. The heat buildup can also cause dangerous bus fires.
To learn more about common causes of bus accidents, reach out to our skilled Anderson bus accident lawyers today. We offer free consultations and can help you understand your rights.
Determining Liability in a Bus Accident in Anderson, Indiana
Accidents involving public transit and school buses have many different causes. In some cases, it can be challenging to determine who is liable for the accident. There are many possibilities:
- The bus company
- The bus driver
- Other drivers involved in the accident
- The local government agency that owns the bus or maintains the road
- The manufacturer of the bus (or of defective parts involved in the crash)
- The local school district or the school bus service it uses
In some accidents, multiple parties can be liable. An experienced Anderson personal injury lawyer can carefully assess your case and identify all potentially liable parties.
How Do You Prove Fault in an Accident Involving a Bus in Indiana?
Officers from the Anderson Police Department will investigate most bus crashes to determine whether there was any criminal wrongdoing. Unfortunately, many injured people make the mistake of thinking that this police investigation is enough to support their case.
However, criminal investigations and civil investigations are very different. Your attorney will explain their plan for conducting a thorough civil investigation. Over the course of the investigation, your attorney might gather these critical pieces of information:
- CCTV footage of the accident
- Photos of the accident scene
- Bus maintenance records
- Bus driver logs
- The bus driver’s driving record and criminal record
- Evidence of any mechanical issues with the bus
- Witness testimony
- Your medical records
- Any statements the bus driver or other passengers made to police
- Specific state and federal regulations that apply to the bus in question
If the cause of the crash is in dispute, your attorney might hire an accident reconstruction expert to determine exactly what happened.
Are There Laws and Regulations for Transit Buses in Anderson?
Some Indiana laws apply specifically to transit buses. If the bus driver, the bus service, or both were in violation of one of these laws, your legal team will likely have an easier time proving that these parties should be held financially responsible for your injuries.
There are a number of laws in Indiana that regulate buses for the safety of drivers, passengers, and the general public. Indiana Code Title 20, Article 27 has to do with school transportation. It’s a lengthy piece of legislation that touches on many safety-related topics, including these:
- The Department of Transportation and a specialized school bus committee work together to create safety guidelines
- Schools must hire bus drivers who meet certain requirements, including not using drugs or alcohol to excess at any time
- Buses must be inspected at certain intervals
- Bus services must follow maintenance requirements established by the school bus committee
Indiana Administrative Code 575 sets standards for both buses and bus drivers. It establishes clear specifications for each component of the bus, and it also sets physical performance standards for school bus drivers.
Another law, Indiana Code § 36-9-3-1, covers relationships between bus companies and governments. It says that if a local government establishes a public transport corporation, it may shift powers to that corporation if needed.
This is just a sampling of the laws governing public transport. The laws may seem confusing to the average person, but bus accident lawyers deal with them on a daily basis. You can count on our skilled and experienced Anderson bus accident lawyers to evaluate your case within the context of the law to determine who is liable for your injuries.
What Are the Safety Guidelines for School Buses in Indiana?
Indiana takes children’s safety seriously, and the state has set forth many safety guidelines for school buses.
In 2022, Indiana established new laws requiring the Indiana Department of Education and the state school bus committee to work together to establish and publish school bus safety guidelines. The guidelines must include steps for drivers to take to ensure students are protected from traffic when unloading.
The change in the law was in response to a nationwide string of tragic bus crash fatalities in 2018. In October and November of that year, six students were killed in bus crashes, and five students and two adults were injured. Three of the student fatalities happened in Indiana.
Each state has specific laws to protect students from being hit by other vehicles while getting on or off a school bus. It’s wise to review these laws, especially because they may vary by state.
Drivers in Indiana should know what to do when they see a stopped school bus. These rules apply when the bus driver has activated the flashing red lights and extended the stop arm:
- Two-Lane Roads: Drivers approaching from either direction must stop
- Multilane Roads Without Physical Barriers: Drivers approaching from either direction must stop
- Multilane Roads With Physical Barriers: Drivers going in the same direction as the bus must stop
If you disregard the stop arm on a bus, you aren’t just breaking the law — you’re potentially putting a child’s life at risk.
Why Indiana Bus Accident Claims Can Be Challenging
To an outsider, it might seem like pursuing a bus accident injury claim is virtually the same as pursuing a claim for a car accident injury. However, there are unique factors that may make recovering compensation more challenging in bus accident cases.
There May Be Many Liable Parties
In many bus accidents, multiple people or entities can be held responsible for injuries. Identifying the parties involved and determining which ones were negligent can be difficult.
This is one of the many reasons it’s so important to work with an experienced attorney. Your lawyer can identify all negligent parties to increase your chances of getting full compensation.
If a Government Entity Is Involved, You Have Less Time
Indiana has a law called the Tort Claims Act that allows you to sue state and local governments for negligence. There’s a catch, though: You have just 180 days after the accident to file a claim, and the claim must be filed in accordance with state code.
Because many transit buses are owned or operated by municipalities, this law is especially important in bus accident cases. Since you have a very short time to file a claim against a government entity, you should seek legal advice from an attorney in Anderson, Indiana, as soon as you can.
When Should I File My Anderson Bus Accident Claim?
Many of our clients want to know the statute of limitations for bus accidents. Under Indiana Code § 34-11-2-4, you have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit.
There are exceptions, though. In some instances, the time frame may be much shorter. As noted earlier, if you’re filing a claim against a government entity, you only have 180 days.
That’s not the only reason to speak to your attorney as soon as possible. An Anderson bus accident attorney doesn’t file a lawsuit right after they take a case. Often, accepting a case is just the beginning. The attorney must investigate the accident and build a case. By giving them plenty of time to do this, you can strengthen your case.
Skilled Personal Injury Law Firm in Anderson, Indiana
At SLG Accident Attorneys, we believe that negligent people and companies should be held accountable for their actions. We also believe that if your injuries were caused by someone else, you deserve to be compensated for your losses.
If you’re ready to talk to an experienced Anderson bus accident lawyer, call us today to schedule a free consultation.
In addition to Anderson, some locations near you that we serve include Indianapolis, Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville, Greenwood, and more.
