Drunk Driving Bus Accidents in Banning
When a drunk driver collides with a crowded bus, the results are often horrific and tragic. The bus accident and injury lawyers at the Walter Clark Legal Group represent individuals who have suffered serious injuries in drunk driving bus accidents in Banning. For more than 30 years, our attorneys have fought for injured California residents and have recovered billions of dollars in damages to help them and their families overcome their physical and emotional trauma.
Who Is Liable for Damages in a Drunk Driving Bus Crash?
A drunk driver will be civilly liable for injuries sustained by bus passengers after an accident in Banning. Injury claims in civil personal injury lawsuits are generally reimbursed by the driver’s insurance carriers. In addition, if the driver became intoxicated while on the job, their employer might be responsible for compensation. The bus company can bear some liability if the driver’s negligence contributed to the accident or the company’s failure to maintain the bus exacerbated injuries.
Under limited circumstances, California’s Dram Shop Laws also impose liability on bars and other licensed establishments that served alcohol to persons under the age of 21 who were obviously intoxicated. To optimize your opportunity to recover compensation from all parties who were at fault for the drunken driving bus accident, you should hire a legal team that has the knowledge and experience to identify those parties and to use the State’s laws to their maximum effect to pursue the largest available damages award.
What Damages Can an Injured Bus Passenger Collect?
With the right legal representation after a drunk driving bus accident in Banning, injured bus passengers can recover compensation for their economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages reimburse the injured passenger for quantifiable financial costs, expenses, and losses, including:
- Current and anticipated medical costs and expenses required to treat injuries
- Wages and salary that are not earned while the injured passenger is unable to work due to injuries
- Transportation costs associated with going to medical and other appointments
- Property loss and damage
- Physical and occupational therapy
- Costs to modify living spaces to accommodate reduced mobility caused by injuries
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages reimburse an injured bus passenger for the value of their pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life due to scarring and disability, and emotional distress.
Punitive Damages
In a small number of cases, an injured bus passenger’s lawyer may be able to recover punitive damages from a drunk driver if the lawyer can show that the driver acted willfully and maliciously, or was otherwise grossly negligent while operating a vehicle. When you seek legal representation to help you recover the largest possible damages award, make sure you retain an attorney who has the skills and expertise to investigate your case and uncover the full amount of compensation that you deserve.
How Do Criminal Drunk Driving Charges Affect a Civil Lawsuit for Damages?
A criminal case against a motorist who is charged with drunk driving after a Banning bus accident can proceed separately from a civil case, although the civil case is often paused until the criminal proceedings are over. You should understand, however, that the state’s laws give you two years after the accident to file your civil lawsuit, and a pending criminal case will not extend that two-year deadline. In view of this, you should not delay contacting a bus accident personal injury lawyer because a delay can hurt your opportunity to recover your damages from the drunk driver and other parties.
Call Our Drunk Driving Bus Accident Lawyers in Banning Today
Call Walter Clark Legal Group today for a complimentary consultation about how our lawyers can help you recover maximum compensation for injuries suffered in drunk driving bus accidents in Banning.
