A staple of any morning or afternoon commute, especially during the fall and spring, is the sight of big yellow school buses carrying children to their destination. Unfortunately, despite the image of happy children waving out of the windows of their school buses, the reality is that school bus accidents are a dangerous and common occurrence. On average, about 17,000 children have injured each year in school bus-related accidents. The most common circumstances of these accidents are accidents with other vehicles, children getting on or off the bus, children being tossed around due to the lack of seat belts or other safety equipment, and the school bus injuring pedestrians on the street.
What is Sovereign Immunity and How Does it Affect my Claim?
Unlike common car or truck accidents, school bus accidents also require special legal analysis because of a doctrine called “sovereign immunity.” Generally, the doctrine of sovereign immunity limits the type of claims and/or amount of compensation a government entity can be subject to in a lawsuit. Because school buses are typically owned by local governments and the bus drivers are government employees, claims against them can be limited in certain ways by sovereign immunity. Because of the complexity of these cases, if you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an accident involving a school bus, the best way to determine if you are entitled to recovery is to schedule a consultation with an experienced bus accident attorney at Shane Smith Law as soon as possible.
Contact a Coweta County Bus Accident Attorney for a Free Consultation
If you or a loved one was injured or killed by injuries sustained in an accident involving a school bus, you may be entitled to substantial compensation to reimburse you for any medical expenses and pain and suffering your child experienced. To schedule a free consultation with one of our wrongful death attorneys, please call our office today at (980) 246-2656.