Public Transit Accidents
Types of Public Transportation
Municipal buses
School buses
Trams or trolleys
Municipally managed rideshare and carpool programs
Subway (underground train)
Aboveground trains
Light rail
High-speed rail
Public Transportation
Accident Statistics
63,000
Buses involved in collisions anually
857
School buses involved in fatal crashes from 1995 - 2005
Bus and
rail accidents
make up the vast majority of public transportation accidents.
Rail injury
rates
have increased in recent years due to increased demand for transit.
What to Do After a Public Transit Accident
- Receive immediate medical treatment for all injuries.
- Document your injuries.
- Find legal representation.
- Work with lawyer to retrieve copies of the transit operator’s accident report and the police report of the accident.
- Find out if there are copies of video footage from the area and from the vehicle.
- Work with lawyer to get copies of transit operators’ qualification and fitness-for-service tests.
Who Is Liable for Public Transit Accidents?
- Transit businesses or entities responsible for transporting many people are held to a common carrier standard in which they must exercise a higher level of responsibility and caution.
- A driver does not have to be under the influence or demonstrate other criminal behavior in order to be found negligent or irresponsible
- Suing a government transit agency may have special legal requirements under any applicable tort claims act.
SOURCE:
- http://www.umtri.umich.edu/content/MotorCarrierTypeinFatalBusCrashes_final.pdf
- https://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/FactBook/2017-APTA-Fact-Book.pdf