Every year, almost 25 million passengers ride on Greyhound buses. While most of them arrive safely, a small number of reckless drivers, negligent actions by the company, or poor maintenance of certain buses can lead to some never making it home. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Greyhound buses were involved in hundreds of accidents over the past few years that have led to injuries, deaths, and damaged vehicles.
Although intercity buses such as Greyhound are considered the safest mode of transportation by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the rare accidents that do happen on these buses can be fairly traumatic. As most buses do not offer seatbelts, there is a risk of being thrown from the crash. Similarly, the large volume of passengers on a bus can mean that it is difficult for all passengers to be treated quickly. Sometimes these crashes are no fault of the bus driver or Greyhound itself, but when the company’s negligence contributes to a crash, the tragedy is that much worse.
When you are in a Greyhound bus accident, you are often asked to fill out a claims form or give a recorded statement at the scene of the accident about what happened. This information will be used by Greyhound to see what happened. Sadly, often this information is used to try and minimize the company’s responsibility. It is important to remember that you are not required to give a statement right after a traumatic event like a crash. You can take a bit of time to collect your thoughts and give your statement to law enforcement.
In the case of bad crashes, Greyhound may offer a small sum of money to the victims. If you take this money, you will usually not be able to get any further financial compensation for your injuries or damages suffered. You can also work with an accident lawyer to obtain a higher settlement, if the money offered will not cover your expenses. For this reason, it is not in your best interest to take a settlement offer without taking your time to consider it fully.
Our accident attorneys serve clients throughout the Chicago area, including Aurora, Elgin, Hinsdale, Joliet, Naperville, and Waukegan. If you have been in a Greyhound bus accident near Chicago, consider getting help from an experienced accident lawyer. Greyhound is involved in bus accidents regularly, so they have teams that specialize in handling the claims of injured passengers. You can level the playing field by hiring someone with just as much experience in accident cases. If you were in a Greyhound bus accident, call the Illinois bus accident attorneys at Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. today at (312) 236-2900 for a free consultation on your case. We will fight to get you the best outcome possible.
When you’re fighting for maximum compensation, we know what it takes to get it.
