After you’ve been injured in a bus accident in Lakewood, Colorado, it’s important to consider your legal rights and options. Make Matos Personal Injury Lawyers your first call for help. You may be entitled to a substantial monetary award, and our Lakewood bus accident lawyers can help you fight to get the top-dollar settlement you deserve.
Since 2016, Matos Personal Injury Lawyers has been a trusted advocate for bus accident victims and grieving families in Lakewood, CO. We’re award-winning Colorado trial attorneys who are passionate about making a genuine difference in the lives of the people we represent. Our successful results for our clients are a testament to that.
Let us be the equalizing force as you take on a powerful bus service or insurance company. Put our decades of experience to work for you. Contact us at (720) 912-7274 to set up a time for a free consultation now.
How Matos Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Bus Accident in Lakewood, CO
What caused the bus to crash? Is the bus driver solely to blame? Can the bus service be held accountable? What about a third party? What evidence will you need to build a successful legal claim for damages? How can you be sure that the settlement offer you receive is fair?
Focus on your recovery and let our Lakewood personal injury attorneys handle these (and other) important issues for you.
We have the resources and experience to make a difference in your life, and we’re ready to put the full force of our law firm behind your fight for compensation.
Count on us to:
- Promptly investigate the circumstances of your bus accident to uncover why and how it happened
- Pinpoint liability for the crash
- Analyze medical records, witness statements, accident reports, property damage, dashcam footage, photographs, maintenance records, and other evidence
- Bring in experts and specialists to offer insight as we build your case and determine what your damages might be worth
- Handle all paperwork and procedural requirements on your behalf
- Seek a meaningful settlement offer during negotiations with the bus company and its insurer
- Represent you at trial if the bus company refuses to accept responsibility for the crash
At Matos Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re not just here to be your legal advocate. We’re here to make a positive impact in your life and help you navigate one of the most stressful things you’ve ever encountered.
Call our law office in Lakewood, CO, to learn more about our contingency fee legal services and the considerable benefits of working with our law firm. Your initial case assessment is free.
How Common Are Bus Accidents in Colorado?
Every year, dozens of bus accidents are reported in Lakewood and across the state of Colorado. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 48 Colorado auto accidents involved buses in 2022.
That’s an average of 4 bus accidents a month.
These accidents involve:
- Private charter buses
- Commercial buses
- Amtrak buses
- School buses
- Tour buses
- Minibuses
- Party buses
- Coach buses
- RTD buses
In Colorado, buses are common carriers. Common carriers transport passengers or goods in exchange for a fee. In turn, there’s an increased responsibility to keep passengers and cargo safe.
Under Colorado law, bus companies and bus drivers must exercise the highest degree of care to protect passengers. When an accident happens, drivers and companies can be liable for even the smallest mistakes or lapses of judgment.
What Are the Top Causes of Lakewood Bus Accidents?
Despite the fact that the bus industry is heavily regulated by state and federal law, bus accidents are still commonplace.
Most often, the reason for these bus accidents is negligence.
Bus companies cut corners when hiring and/or training drivers. Fleets of buses aren’t always maintained properly or inspected regularly. Bus drivers don’t fully embrace their role in transporting passengers safely and engage in risky behavior behind the wheel.
Some of the most common causes of bus accidents include:
- Speeding
- Braking errors
- Wide turns
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving
- Drug and alcohol use
- Tailgating
- Improper stopping
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Failing to use a turning signal
- Failing to check blind spots
- Vehicle malfunctions due to negligent maintenance
Factors outside of a bus company’s control – like bad weather, construction, road defects, and vehicle defects – can also contribute to bus accidents in Lakewood.
How Much Is My Lakewood Bus Accident Case Worth?
There’s no average settlement for bus accident lawsuits in Colorado. Every case is unique. The specific facts and circumstances of your accident will influence the potential value of a related claim for damages.
Important considerations include:
- The type and severity of your bus accident injuries
- Changes in your ability to work and overall earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket costs
- The need for long-term medical treatment
- Your age
- Available insurance benefits
- Shared responsibility for the bus accident
You can learn more about the potential value of your bus accident case by speaking with an experienced personal injury attorney near you in Lakewood, CO. Call Matos Personal Injury Lawyers to set up a free consultation today. We’ll be there to listen to your story, explain your rights, and offer insight into how we can help you maximize your recovery.
Can Contributory Fault Affect My Colorado Bus Accident Settlement?
Yes. Under Colorado’s modified comparative negligence system, you cannot recover third-party compensation if you are 50 percent or more responsible for a Lakewood bus accident.
Your damages will be reduced if you share some, but less than 50 percent, of the blame for the collision.
If you’re 30 percent at fault, your financial settlement or jury award will be reduced by 30 percent.
Count on our bus accident lawyers in Lakewood to help you fight back against attempts to shift blame and limit your financial recovery. We’ll do everything we can to get you the full value of your personal injury claim.
What Types of Damages Can I Get After a Bus Accident in Lakewood?
When you’ve suffered injuries in a Lakewood, CO bus accident, you can pursue monetary compensation from the bus driver, bus company, and other liable parties.
Compensation can include:
- Economic damages, intended to offset the financial costs of your bus accident, and
- Non-economic damages, are intended to compensate for the difficult-to-value life changes and hardships you experience as a bus accident victim.
Our Lakewood bus accident attorneys will help you fight to get money for:
- Current medical bills
- Future medical expenses
- Lost wages and earnings
- Diminished earning capacity
- Disability
- Property damage
- Nursing assistance
- Funeral expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Chronic physical pain
- Reduced quality of life
- Emotional distress
- PTSD
- Loss of consortium
- Disfigurement and scarring
In a limited number of cases, punitive damages might also be available. However, under Colorado state law, a jury must find by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant’s conduct was fraudulent, malicious, or willful.
Common Bus Accident Injuries in Lakewood, CO
Whether you’re a pedestrian, an occupant of a passenger vehicle, or a passenger on the bus, you can suffer debilitating injuries in a wreck.
At Matos Personal Injury Lawyers we’re here to help you fight to get compensation for all of your bus accident injuries, including:
- Concussion
- Brain injury
- Eye injury
- Whiplash
- Back injury
- Paralysis
- Spinal cord injury
- Nerve damage
- Crush injury
- Chest injury
- Amputation
- Burn injury
- Broken bones
- Joint injury
- Soft tissue injury
- Catastrophic injury
- Wrongful death of a family member
Make sure you report the bus accident to local authorities and seek prompt medical treatment at a hospital in Lakewood as soon as you can. Then, call our bus accident attorneys for help working toward a life-changing financial award.
How Long Will I Have To File a Colorado Bus Accident Lawsuit?
Bus accident lawsuits are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations in the State of Colorado.
This is true for crashes resulting in personal injury and wrongful death.
Do not hesitate to initiate your legal claim. You’ll lose the right to do so once the statute of limitations expires.
Protect yourself by contacting our Lakewood bus accident attorneys for help immediately after a wreck. We’ll be ready to begin working on your case as soon as you ask for our help.
Schedule a Free Consultation With an Experienced Lakewood Bus Accident Lawyer
Were you recently injured in a bus accident in Lakewood, Colorado? Don’t hesitate to contact Matos Personal Injury Lawyers for help.
Our Lakewood bus accident lawyers are committed to helping you move forward after this devastating accident. We’ll invest whatever time and resources are needed to level the playing field and get you the financial settlement or jury award you deserve.
Schedule a free consultation by calling our Lakewood, CO, law office today.