Severe Injury Accidents Between Passenger Cars and City Buses

Major metropolitan areas, such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C., are naturally very congested with both vehicular traffic and pedestrians. Because of this, traffic accidents can occur quite often, especially at peak travel hours. Whether one is traveling in a family sedan, riding a bicycle or walking on foot, there is always a chance that you or someone you know might be hurt in a road accident. For pedestrians, most any impact from a motor vehicle of any size can be serious, if not life-threatening. But even individuals in passenger cars can be at risk on city streets.

While commercial vehicle collisions involving semi tractor-trailers may be more common on the interstate or beltway, in urban areas city buses can be a threat in and of themselves. No matter where you drive, motor coaches, charter and city buses can often be found. The tight quarters of a metro area can raise the odds of being hit by one of these large and heavy commercial motor vehicles (CMVs).

As Baltimore personal injury attorneys, the legal staff at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, has a great deal of experience helping victims of traffic accidents. Our familiarity with Maryland’s metropolitan areas gives us first-hand knowledge of the everyday dangers faced by motorists and pedestrians on our city streets. When it comes to city bus accidents, we know that they do happen more frequently than some people would imagine. Residents and commuters, both, can be putting themselves at risk of bodily harm when navigating city streets each day.

From our standpoint, we recognize that bus accidents can result in very serious personal injury. Because of the size of these large and massive vehicles, a city bus striking a much smaller passenger car can result in injury to the driver and/or his passengers. In fact, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are approximately 900,000 buses of all types traveling this nation’s roadways. Of those, more than six percent can usually be expected to be involved in some kind of traffic collision during any given year.

While six percent may not seem like much, given the sheer number of buses in operation, the number of bus-related roadway accidents is somewhere around 60,000 annually across the United States. These figures also include school buses, which as every parent knows, carry precious cargo week in and week out during the school year. Whether a crash involves a school bus, charter Greyhound-style motor coach, or a city bus, when it does happen, many people can be affected. Parents, grandparents, children and other commuters can each suffer in one way or another from a bus-related roadway crash.

City, charter, touring, and school buses all have their place in our modern fast-paced society, however when a bus driver makes an error that results in death or severe bodily injury, that individual must be held accountable for his or her actions. When one of these large-sized CMVs is involved in a traffic accident, the results can be nothing short of catastrophic for another motorist, occupants of another passenger car, or for a cyclist or pedestrian crossing the street.

Some of the more frequent causes of a road accident involving a city bus or touring motor coach can include the following:

• Poor bus maintenance or the installation of defective parts
• Driver fatigue
• Drug or alcohol use by the bus driver
• Driver distraction
• Poorly designed roadways or signage
• Insufficient driver training
• Faulty vehicle design

The legal team at Lebowitz & Mzhen is dedicated to representing individuals who have suffered a severe injury while riding on Maryland or Washington, D.C., public transportation. Our legal staff focuses its attention on helping victims of tragic commercial vehicle accidents all across the Old Line State. Our job is to assist our clients in recovering monetary damages from the responsible party(s) following a serious commercial motor vehicle accident.

We believe that innocent victims of negligent CMV drivers should not have to assume the entire responsibility of their medical bills simply because an insurance company is unwilling to pay its fair share following a bad traffic collision. Our experienced team of personal injury lawyers can give victims a voice against those large transit companies and other potentially responsible parties when fighting for compensation following a collision with a public bus, private charter tour bus or other large commuter vehicle.

In addition to helping individuals who have been severely injured in a bus accident, taxi collision or passenger car crash to recover expenses for medical procedures already performed, we also will fight for our client’s possible future medical and rehab costs, depending on the severity of their injuries. With our legal training and courtroom experience, Lebowitz & Mzhen is ready, willing and able to fight for victims’ rights under the laws of Maryland.

Our beltways and interstates are already a dangerous place to find oneself. There is no reason for being injured due to the negligent actions of another driver, especially someone who has been trained as a professional driver. If you have been injured or severely hurt in a collision with a city bus, 18-wheeler, tank truck or other large commercial motor vehicle, we recommend that you contact a skilled legal expert to discuss your rights per Maryland and federal law. Furthermore, we are pleased to provide our legal assistance to the families of victims who have been killed by an alcohol- or drug-impaired trucker or city bus driver. Call us for a free, no obligation consultation at (800) 654-1949; or send an email to either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen for a one-on-one meeting.