Our firm has particular expertise in claims for accidents on buses. We have successfully represented hundreds of clients in these specialist compensation claims.
The majority of accidents on buses are the result of driver error, such as driving too fast or erratically, or braking too sharply, resulting in passengers losing their balance and falling to the floor. Hundreds of bus passengers are injured every year in accidents of this kind through no fault of their own, and often responsibility will lie with the bus driver.
Bus companies owe a duty of care to their passengers, and are responsible for their vehicles being driven with reasonable care and skill. If a bus driver has exposed passengers to a foreseeable risk of injury, and injuries have occurred, the bus operator will be held legally responsible for the behaviour of its employee.
Case Study: Compensation for Passenger Trapped in Bus Doors
A recent client of ours made a successful claim against a bus company for being trapped in the bus doors. Mr S was the last person getting on the bus at a stop, when the bus driver unexpectedly closed the door and started to pull away, trapping Mr S’s arm in the door and dragging him along the road. The driver heard Mr S shouting, stopped the bus after a few metres and released the vehicle’s doors. Mr S was shaken up by the incident, and called his sister to drive him home.
Due to pain in his shoulder and lower back he went to his GP, and was diagnosed with soft tissue damage, prescribed painkillers and advised to undertake a course of physiotherapy. He phoned the bus company the following day to complain, but despite their promise to investigate the incident, he received nothing more than a verbal apology, and subsequently decided to seek legal advice.
Mr S was still experiencing pain and weakness in his shoulder months later, and contacted Bartletts Solicitors via our website. We advised him that he had strong grounds for making a claim against the bus company, and agreed to take on his claim on a no win no fee basis. We wrote to the bus company, stating the circumstances of the incident, and asserting that the bus driver had acted negligently in closing the vehicle’s doors and pulling away while our client was half in and half out of the bus.
Mr S’s injuries had been directly caused by the driver’s failure to observe basic safety procedures, and the bus company was ultimately responsible for the actions of their employee. We were able to secure an admission of liability relatively quickly in this instance, and Mr S later received £4,500 in compensation.
Case Study: Compensation for Bus Passenger Thrown to Floor
Ms B caught the bus to her local town centre one morning, and was forced to stand on the lower deck as all the seats were taken. The bus driver was running late on the route, and according to Ms B (later also attested two by several other passengers) was driving erratically. The bus was approaching a set of traffic lights, when the driver failed to brake early enough, and drove into the back of a stationery van.
The impact was relatively minor, but the force was enough to throw Ms B forward from where she was standing, causing her to strike the back of a seat and fall to the floor. Ms B suffered a broken rib, severe bruising and torn ligaments in her wrist. She was admitted to hospital and had to take three weeks off work following the accident, during which time she was in considerable pain and discomfort.
Ms B contacted Bartletts Solicitors via our website, having read about a similar case we had handled for an injured bus passenger. We wrote to the bus operator, arguing that dangerous driving on the part of the bus driver was the principal cause of the accident and Ms B’s injuries. The fact that the bus had collided with the back of a stationery van showed that the accident must have been the bus driver’s fault.
Two other passengers whose details had been taken by Ms B’s husband also confirmed that the bus was being driven too fast at the time, and that the driver had appeared agitated. There was very little that the bus operator was able to argue against these facts, and on admission of liability, Ms B won £4,500 in compensation for her injuries.
Case Study: Passenger Injured When Bus Swerved to Avoid Collision
Bartletts Solicitors recently represented a client who was injured while travelling on a bus when the driver swerved to avoid a collision with a cyclist in front that he had failed to notice until the last minute. Ms M was standing near the front of the vehicle when it unexpectedly swerved to the right with sufficient force for her to lose her balance and fall sideways, hitting her lower body against the side of a seat. As the driver then swerved back on course to avoid the oncoming traffic she was flung in the opposite direction across the aisle, landing heavily against a seated passenger.
Ms M sustained bruising and soft tissue damage following the incident, which was later diagnosed by her GP as whiplash. Her mobility was restricted for several months afterwards causing significant difficulties in her day-to-day life, as she was an elderly lady who lived alone.
On the advice of her family Ms M decided to seek legal advice, and later engaged Bartletts Solicitors to represent her in a compensation claim against the bus company in question. In correspondence with its insurers, we argued that Ms M’s injuries were the result of the bus driver’s error in failing to spot the cyclist until it was too late to brake, meaning that he had to swerve wildly to avoid a collision.
The force of manoeuvre had caused Ms M to fall and injure herself, and this was caused by a lack of reasonable care and skill on the part of the bus driver, for which his employer was ultimately responsible. We were able to obtain a witness statement from the passenger who Ms M had fallen against, and this corroborated her version of events. The bus company subsequently acknowledged liability for Ms M’s injuries, and we were able to negotiate a compensation settlement totaling £3,250.
Case Study: Compensation for Injury at Bus Stop
A recent client of ours was injured when he visited a bus shelter that had been vandalised the previous evening and cut himself. The company responsible for maintenance of the bus shelter had been informed, however no action had been taken to repair the damage. Mr T suffered a deep gash to his leg after sitting down on a piece of broken glass.
As his wound was bleeding profusely, a taxi driver took him to hospital where he required stitches, and his injury was subsequently recorded in his medical notes. He rang Transport for London (TFL) to complain, but they stated that they had not been aware of the damage, and hence had not had the opportunity to repair it. After investigation this statement turned out to be false, as the broken panes of glass had been reported two days prior to Mr T’s accident.
After engaging Bartletts Solicitors to handle his personal injury claim, we contacted TFL on Mr T’s behalf, stating that the shelter reference number and location details had been reported to them, but they had failed to rectify the problem within a reasonable time-frame, despite being aware of the hazard. The company had negligently breached the duty of care they owed Mr T, by failing to ensure that their property was in a reasonably safe condition at the time he was present in the bus shelter.
In fact, the shelter was in a dangerous condition and should have been made completely safe at the earliest opportunity after it was reported. No action had been taken, and this represented negligence on the part of TFL. We were able to negotiate a compensation settlement of £2,750 for Mr T, after TFL acknowledged partial liability for the accident.
Solicitors Claiming Compensation for Accidents on Buses
Bartletts Solicitors has successfully claimed compensation for bus passengers injured in accidents across the UK. Provided your claim against a bus company relates to an accident that has taken place in the last three years, we can represent you on a no win no fee basis. Contact our solicitors today for free legal advice that you can rely on.
Make a free compensation enquiry today
For specialist advice on your personal injury claim, call us now on Liverpool 0151 227 3391 or Chester 01244 645830 or Wrexham 01978 360056 or complete a Free Online Enquiry and we will soon be in touch.
