Indianapolis Bus Accident Attorney 

Thousands of Indianapolis residents rely on buses each day, whether they are commuting to their jobs on IndyGo, sending their kids off to school, or chartering motorcoaches to private events.  Clearly, buses can be an effective and economical means of transportation, though not necessarily a safe one.  The United States recorded 175 deadly bus accidents in 2021, a tragic toll that included 108 casualties from school bus crashes,  though non-fatal bus accidents can still inflict punishing injuries demanding prolonged treatment that few could manage without assistance. 

Fortunately, that assistance may be available if you initiate a personal injury case, and you could increase your chances of success by teaming up with the Indianapolis bus accident lawyers at Hensley Legal Group, where we have been fighting for the seriously injured since 1998. 

You can schedule a no-cost case review with a dedicated Indianapolis bus accident attorney by calling us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form now. 

Who Is Liable for an Indianapolis Bus Accident? 

If you sustain bodily damages in a bus accident, you may be eligible to obtain financial damages from the individuals or entities liable for it, but who is liable for an Indianapolis bus accident?  The answer can vary depending upon the circumstances, though the list of potential defendants in an Indianapolis bus accident case could be bigger than you might think.   

For example, the driver of the bus would usually be at fault in a single-vehicle bus accident, as would the company employing that driver.  However, another driver could be at fault when additional vehicles are involved, along with the owner of his or her vehicle (if separate from the driver) and any company make commercial use of that vehicle (if there is one).     

Others could bear some responsibility too, such as a mechanic or a defective component manufacturer when a bus accident is precipitated by a breakdown or a government agency or its contractors when poor road conditions make a collision with a bus inevitable.   

In some situations, multiple defendants could share blame simultaneously, and each of them will need to be pursued within the time allotted by law, known as the Statute of Limitations.  The Statute for Indiana motor vehicle accidents is generally two years from the date of the crash, though it could be narrower in cases against the government, with further stipulations that may have to be addressed. 

If a lawsuit is not filed or your claim is not otherwise resolved before the Statute expires, you could be forever barred from full fiscal recovery – the kind of senseless mistake that will not happen when our meticulous Indianapolis bus accident lawyers are on the case. 

Why Do Bus Accidents Occur? 

Bus accidents could occur for virtually any reason imaginable, though certain elements are frequently associated with incidents of this nature.  Common causes of Indianapolis bus accidents include: 

• Speeding – Exceeding the speed limit is the top factor in auto accidents of all sorts, resulting in around 15,000 collisions in Indiana each year.  Speeding drivers have less time to react but require more time to stop, which could make a bus accident both more probable and more destructive. 

• Distraction – Second only to speeding as a contributor to traffic accidents, distraction has become an epidemic with the rise of smartphones, which are linked to 12 percent of crashes despite states like Indiana banning the use of handheld devices when driving. 

• Passenger-based distraction – Distraction can also come from disruptive passenger behavior, which plays a role in about 3.55 percent of collisions, and the sheer number of passengers on any given bus could be enormously draining on its driver’s attention. 

• Fatigue – Because bus drivers spend so many more hours behind the wheel than most motorists, they could be particularly susceptible to fatigue, which leads to approximately 100,000 accidents, 50,000 injuries, and 800 deaths across the country per year. 

• Intoxication – Drunk driving remains a significant concern in Indiana, where law enforcement officers make a DUI arrest every 11.98 hours.  Though bus drivers are statistically unlikely to be intoxicated, the same might not be said about other drivers in the vicinity, who could put everyone in the bus in jeopardy.  

• Unfamiliarity with bus maneuvers – Buses engage in highly specialized maneuvers in traffic, and they could confuse a driver who is unfamiliar with them to such an extent that a bus accident could take place. 

• Inadequate training – Bus drivers must undergo exhaustive training in order to be licensed, and they could be unable to operate their buses without issue if this training is inadequate. 

• Irregular bus maintenance – Vehicles could malfunction while in motion if they are not maintained regularly, and this is especially true of mass transit buses, which rack up quadruple the annual mileage of the average passenger vehicle.

No matter why your bus accident occurred, Hensley’s Indianapolis bus accident attorneys can formulate a sound plan of action if you are contemplating a case. 

Steps to Take After an Indianapolis Bus Accident  

To better protect that case, there are important steps that you should take after an Indianapolis bus accident.  Specifically, you should remember to: 

• Alert the authorities – The bus driver is supposed to request the presence of police and emergency personnel following a crash, but you should be ready to dial 911 to alert the authorities if your driver does not. 

• Snap pictures and shoot videos – While you have your phone out, use it to snap pictures and shoot videos of your surroundings, as they could be indispensable in cataloging your damages and assessing guilt. 

• Get treatment – Delays in care could impede the healing process and permit doubt to be cast on the causal relationship between the bus accident and your injuries, so get treatment promptly, either from paramedics on site or at the nearest emergency room. 

• Write down witness information – If anyone witnessed the accident, write down their contact information and encourage them to give statements to the responding officers.   

• Avoid insurance and bus company representatives – Similarly, representatives from the defendants’ insurance carriers or the bus company may ask you to give them a statement, yet anything you say could be used against you, so you may want to avoid them until you… 

• Seek legal advice – A knowledgeable Indianapolis bus accident lawyer can educate you about your rights and lay the foundation for a rock-solid case.  

How Our Indianapolis Bus Accident Attorneys Can Help 

A bus accident could change your life in an instant, overwhelming you with skyrocketing medical bills while undermining your ability to go to work to pay for them.  It can be tough to know what to do or where to turn during such a trying period, but the seasoned Indianapolis bus accident attorneys at Hensley Legal Group can help you find a way forward. 

If you hire Hensley, we will launch a thorough investigation into your bus accident and everyone who may be culpable for it, then move swiftly to amass the materials to construct your claim, such as:   

• Police reports  

• Citations and dispositions  

• Dash cam, streetlight, and surveillance footage  

• Black box data  

• Eyewitness accounts 

• Phone records  

• Driving histories  

• Servicing logs  

• Forensic analysis and accident reconstruction 

If proof of wrongdoing exists, our Indianapolis bus accident lawyers will do everything in their power to unearth it. 

Get Compensated for the Totality of Your Losses   

After assembling an airtight case, we will endeavor to get you compensated for the totality of your losses, including your:  

• Medical expenses  

• Lost income  

• Pain and suffering 

• Mental and emotional trauma  

• Mobility restrictions 

• Diminished quality of living 

• Loss of consortium  

• Punitive damages (if relevant)  

And unlike some of our competitors, who rarely, if ever, venture into a courtroom, we are not afraid to go to trial if we do not receive an offer that is worthy of your claim. 

No two Indianapolis bus accidents are exactly alike, but Hensley will always strive to maximize the value of yours. 

You Won’t Pay Anything Until We Win  

If you are reluctant to agree to more expenditures when you can least afford them, you should know that our firm works on a contingency basis, so you won’t have to pay us anything until our Indianapolis bus accident attorneys win your case.  

That “short” bus ride may have transformed into journey that seems like it will never end, but you can count on Hensley to guide you to a satisfying destination. 

Our Indianapolis Bus Accident Lawyers Will Be Here for You 

Hensley Legal Group has been advocating on behalf of hardworking Hoosiers just like you for over a quarter century.  If you have been badly hurt in a bus accident in the Indianapolis area, our Indianapolis bus accident lawyers will be here for you. 

Please call us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form for a free consultation with an accomplished Indianapolis bus accident attorney today.