What If I’m Injured in an Accident Involving Muncie Transportation?

A benefit of living in the City of Muncie is the Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS). This service has 14 different routes that cover stops all across the city — Ball State University, Muncie Mall, Ball Memorial Hospital, Ivy Tech Community College, Minnetrista Cultural Center, Walmart, Downtown Muncie, and stops along the way in neighborhoods. As a community member, you have the option to take the public transportation service as a means of getting from place to place.

But public transportation doesn’t guarantee complete safety from motor vehicle accidents. Accidents involving public transportation can happen too. If you’re injured in an accident involving public transportation, there might be an opportunity to receive compensation.

Claims Based on Negligence

Just like with other personal injury cases, if you were to be injured on a MITS bus, either from a crash or from an incident on the bus, you would have to find negligence from the transportation service.

The majority of states require public businesses like public transit, trains, school buses, and more to have higher level of care for their passengers because of the nature of their business. This is referred to as the common carrier law.

The purpose of public transportation services with common carrier is to provide safe means and ways of transportation for the passengers on and sometimes off the vehicle as well. Depending on states, common carrier might even extend to an injury off of the bus itself as in the platform or bus stop. It depends on the state and extent of coverage from the business. However, no matter how far common carrier reaches, you still have to prove negligence.

Example of Negligence

On the MITS bus, passengers share the seats as they ride from place to place in Muncie. Let’s say, for example, the bus driver was talking to a passenger and ran through a red light, causing an accident. This could be considered negligence, and you might have a case by proving the driver was distracted.

However, let’s say that the driver is focused on the road and receives a green light to turn left. As she’s turning, someone else runs through a red light and crashes into the bus. Because the bus driver didn’t contribute to causing the accident, you likely wouldn’t be able to prove negligence. You may, however, be able to prove negligence against the driver who hit the bus.

That’s why it’s important to hire a Muncie car accident attorney if you’re injured in a bus accident. A Muncie lawyer can help you determine if the bus driver or another driver may be responsible for your injury.

When looking at the bus driver or bus company in particular, there are also common regulations that are violated which can be considered negligence as well:

• Not complying to state and federal regulations
• Improper maintenance of buses
• Improperly trained drivers
• Drivers working under the influence
• Few safety measures

These regulations and several others are inspected and part of several Department of Transportation agencies.

Timeline for Claims

Most often, public transportation companies are owned and operated by the city or state, and specific state laws apply to any claim brought against them. Deadlines are crucial in this type of case; if you miss any deadlines to file for injury claims, it’s hard to proceed with a case.

There are so many things to keep track of when bringing a lawsuit against a city or state: making sure to send notice to the right municipal department, file suit against the right government entity, and fulfill all of the requirements set by the state. A Muncie car accident attorney can walk you through the timeline for these types of claims and make sure you adhere to all of the requirements by their specific deadlines.

Hire a Muncie Car Accident Attorney

There are several deadlines, notifications, and procedures to follow when filing against a municipal or state department. The compensation you might be entitled to from an injury caused by public transportation is too important not to receive because of missing a deadline. Let attorneys who know the procedures inside and out help you with this process. Call the attorneys at Hensley Legal Group or contact us online for your free consultation today.