The recent accident in Vaughan involving a Brampton Transit bus and an SUV which injured nine people has been a cause of concern for civic authorities and the general population. Investigations are on to determine the cause of the collision, which resulted in the bus veering off-road, plowing through a ditch and hitting a chain-link fence of a commercial property on Highway 7 in the early hours of the morning.

Bus accidents are alarming because they involve many people and can occur in a matter of seconds without any warning whatsoever. People on board may be engaged in different activities – reading, talking/texting on their phones, listening to music, knitting, dozing etc. The passengers may be senior citizens, people with disabilities, children, babies or pregnant women. All these factors add to the casualties when an accident takes place.

What To Do After A Bus Accident

1. The first and most important priority after any accident is to get immediate medical assistance. A nearby hospital can be of great help and ambulances must be called to transport the injured. Many injuries like whiplash and spinal contusions, sprains/fractures etc may not be immediately obvious to lay people, and only trained medical personnel can attend to them. People should be moved carefully to avoid any further hazards. Bleeding and pain can be attended to immediately by first-aid methods.
2. If you or a loved one is involved in a bus accident, remember to take photographs as soon as possible. Since most people have cellphones these days, ensure that someone takes pictures of the accident, position of the vehicles, street conditions, position of the injured (with their permission), broken or damaged parts of the bus, should all be recorded either on video or still camera and carefully preserved.
3. Note down all relevant details about the driver and the bus. The bus number and other relevant information should be noted down. If the driver is able to give his name, address, license number etc, someone can make a note of these details too and also information about any other transport officials on the bus, like conductors or attendants etc.
4. Seek legal assistance. Ensure that you get help from an Ontario bus accident attorney or a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. This helps to safeguard the rights of the injured and identify the circumstances and those responsible for the accident.

Seeking Compensation

The insurance laws were recently modified which could limit an injured person’s right to seek compensation. Injured persons must claim compensation from their own insurance companies under “no-fault compensation.” Additionally, they can also seek compensation under a tort claim against the driver, the transportation company and/or the other driver for causing the accident. This is quite a convoluted process, as Ontario’s vehicle accident claims regulations are among the most complex in the world!

Compensation claims for minor/serious injuries include:

• Medical and rehabilitation costs
• Loss of income
• Care-giver expenses
• Household Maintenance
• Self-care expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Future income loss
• Extraordinary future health care costs
• Out of pocket expenses
• Interest
• Legal costs

There are many different levels and types of claims and benefits available under the above categories as well, based on the type of injury or impairment. Insurance companies would obviously attempt to limit the pay-outs and could contest the claims of the accident victims. Tort claims are also paid out by the insurance company of the person/s accused of causing the accident.

How We Can Help

It’s important to remember that there is a time limit within which the injured person has to notify those considered responsible for the accident that he/she would be seeking compensation. Time limits within which compensation claims have to be filed must also be remembered. Unfortunately, establishing who was responsible for the accident takes time and resources which individuals may not have, hence an experienced law firm like ours can assist you.

Our accident injury lawyers and legal teams can help to put together a strong case by identifying the person/s or circumstances actually responsible for the accident. Our free consultation injury lawyers can assess the facts of the case and give you a genuine report on the merits and possible benefits. We can:

• Establish liability
• Identify the proper person/s to seek compensation from
• Gather relevant evidence
• Arrange for witnesses/experts testimony
• Send notices
• Work within time-frames and guidelines
• Negotiate with insurance companies

Our no win no fee lawyers can assist bus accident victims to safeguard their rights and claim maximum compensation.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333.