Public Transportation Accidents

Many Charlotte, North Carolina residents rely on public transportation. Unfortunately, the quality of Charlotte's public transportation system is not high. Charlotte scored only 26th out of 32 U.S. cities for its transit quality. Also, only 1.6% of Charlotte residents live in areas scoring a 9 out of 10 for transit quality. Along with having poor quality overall, personal injury accidents happen every year that involve Charlotte’s public transportation.

If you or a loved one suffered an injury resulting from a Charlotte public transportation accident, Arnold & Smith, PLLC can help. It is not uncommon for public buses to get into collisions with other motor vehicles or to collide with bicyclists, scooterists, or pedestrians. Public transit drivers are considered common carriers under North Carolina law. They owe their passengers a heightened duty of reasonable care. If a public transportation driver negligently caused an accident that resulted in your injuries, you may be entitled to compensation. Successful plaintiffs can receive compensation for medical costs, pain, suffering, lost past and future wages, and, in some cases, punitive damages.

There are many causes of public transportation accidents that occur in North Carolina, such as:

• Pedestrians walk out in front of a public bus, causing the bus to swerve and collide with another car in an attempt to avoid hitting the pedestrian
• A city bus driver makes an unsafe lane change
• A city bus driver makes a negligently sharp turn
• A public transportation driver fails to account for poor weather or road conditions
• A bus driver fails to inspect the bus tires to determine if they are low on air or too worn for safe driving
• A distracted city bus driver texts on a cell phone, eats, or drinks while driving
• A Charlotte city bus driver negligently drives while being overly fatigued
• A train conductor uses excessive speed
• A train conductor fails to take enough time to make a stop, causing the train to go off the rails
• A city bus driver or train conductor drives while under the influence of alcohol, drugs, or any other intoxicating substance
• The city fails to maintain the engine or interior of a city bus properly
• The city of Charlotte fails to check the city bus for dangerous conditions in the interior of the bus

Public buses are more difficult to operate than cars, trucks, or SUVs. Even though public bus drivers do have more experience than the average driver, some may not have received adequate training for driving a bus. Because of the large size of public buses, a bus traveling at high speeds needs much more time to come to a stop or swerve out of the way to avoid an accident. When a bus driver does not react adequately, he or she might cause a motor vehicle collision. Due to the large size of public buses, if a bus swerves out of its lane, it could block two to three lanes of traffic and cause a multiple-vehicle collision. Pedestrians are also at risk when bus collisions take place.

Buses are wide and tall, making them more likely to roll over in a motor vehicle collision. When a public bus or a school bus rolls over, fatalities can easily occur. Most bus passengers do not wear seatbelts, and public buses do not come with airbags. Passengers who are involved in a motor vehicle collision and are unrestrained have a much higher chance of dying as a result of the accident or suffering severe, life-altering injuries.

If you or a family member have suffered an injury resulting from a public bus accident, you are probably overwhelmed. The thought of bringing a lawsuit and fighting the city of Charlotte and local transportation authorities may be stressful. At Arnold & Smith, PLLC we ease the burden of our motor vehicle accident attorneys by fighting for them throughout the entire legal process. We want our clients to focus on recovering from their injuries. That is why we negotiate persuasively with the parties who are at-fault for our client’s motor vehicle accidents.

The city of Charlotte and public transportation boards have expert legal teams of their own. That is why it is important to hire attorneys with a proven track record and vast personal injury law experience. Contact our office today to set up your free initial consultation, now with convenient locations in Charlotte, Mooresville and Monroe.