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Bus accidents make up a tiny percentage of fatal accidents in North Carolina. However, 1,888 accidents involving buses in 2018 resulted in property damage and personal injury. With only nine fatalities, the statistics can seem misleading. In those accidents, there was extensive property damage and 548 reported injuries. Almost one-third of all bus accidents resulted in personal injuries.
Suppose you were injured in a bus accident. In that case, a Shelby bus accident lawyer might be able to assist you in receiving compensation for your injuries. When another person causes an accident, you should not have to bear the financial burden of medical care.
Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC, our Shelby personal injury lawyer team can fight to recover your costs and more. Schedule a free consultation to discover how they might help you.
Determining What Damages You May Receive
If you were injured in a bus accident, you might be eligible to recover some or all of your medical costs, lost property, and more. To assess your potential compensation, our legal team will evaluate several things, including:
- Physical injury, pain, and severity
- Mental and emotional well-being
- How long your recovery period will be
- How the driver acted at the scene and after
- Whether or not you might be liable in any way
Your first step following an accident should be to seek medical treatment. If you do not receive transport from the accident scene, visit an emergency room, even if you feel fine. Some injuries may not be apparent immediately, such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), concussion, and even broken bones.
Types of Compensatory Damages We Will Pursue
There are two types of compensation that we will fight for. The first is economic damages. These are expenses you have that directly relate to injuries or property damage you experienced directly related to the accident. We will compile all your bills, medical statements, and other expenditures to arrive at a final amount for our request.
Non-economic damages are more difficult to assess. They comprise non-tangible damage such as pain and suffering and emotional anguish. With no available formula to compute figures for non-economic damages, we rely on our experience with bus accident claims. This helps us compile reasonable compensation figures.
Economic Damages
We will add your existing medical and property damage bills and figure out future known expenses to assess the amount you may receive. Some things that are considered economic damages include:
- Medical expenses
- Ambulances and transportation to and from medical facilities
- Physical therapy, including the purchase of necessary equipment
- Wages lost, including future benefits, raises, and expected losses
- Reduced ability to work at your previous level
- Repair or replacement of your vehicle
- Property damage caused by the accident
Economic damages are documented by medical bills, employment pay stubs, repair bills, and medical records about your injuries. You should not have to pay these costs when someone else’s negligence caused your accident.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are more difficult to compute. Once our legal team has evaluated your accident, they will assess dollar amounts paired with additional areas for compensation, including:
- Temporary or permanent disability
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Reduced quality of life
- Loss of companionship (loss of consortium)
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
Money cannot adequately compensate you for some of the losses you may suffer. The purpose of non-economic compensation is to allow you the ability to attempt to rebuild your life to a level similar to what you enjoyed before the accident.
How a Bus Accident Attorney Can Help Your Recovery
We can make no promises about how much you will receive in compensation. Our team will stand by you and help you navigate the process of settlement negotiation. Our familiarity with federal and state laws allows us to build a comprehensive claim for you. Some of the tasks we will take care of for you include:
- Collect and examine evidence in support of your claim
- Identify and pursue all liable parties
- Highlight the negligent behavior that contributed to your injuries
- Notify concerned parties of your intentions
- Communicating with the insurance companies
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Submitting necessary legal documentation for a lawsuit if necessary
- Representing you in court if settlement discussions are unproductive
Our team is in place to protect your rights, and we will fight for the compensation you deserve.
Our Bus Accident Lawyers in Shelby Work on a Contingency Fee Basis
Many people worry that they cannot afford the services of a law firm. With our firm, we begin your experience with a complimentary consultation. This allows us to hear about your injuries, determine if you have a claim, and for both of us to decide if we are a “good fit.” Injury cases are not a one-and-done situation. We will likely be working together for some time, and all parties should be comfortable.
If you decide to retain our law firm and we take on your case, we will explain our fee arrangement. You will pay nothing upfront. Instead, we deduct our fees and expenses from your final settlement or court award. With this arrangement, you can afford a lawyer.
Understanding the Statute of Limitations in North Carolina
In North Carolina, personal injury cases have a statute of limitations of three years from the date of the injury per G.S. § 1-52. Therefore, if you intend to seek compensation, you must begin the filing process within those three years.
With a Shelby bus accident lawyer, we make sure that we file all pertinent documentation on time and monitor your claim as it progresses through each step.
Our Shelby Bus Accident Attorneys are Ready to Get Started on Your Claim Today
If you are ready to begin, Farmer & Morris Law, PLLC can explore your options for compensation. Contact our Shelby office for a free consultation. Our no-risk payment contract means we only get paid if we win a settlement for you.
You can start rebuilding your life as our bus accident lawyers fight on your behalf.
