Whether you’re on a bus, train or subway, you trust your driver to make good decisions to ensure your safety. Sometimes negligence becomes a factor and ends with tragedy. Accidents on public transportation vehicles are far more dangerous than car accidents because more victims are involved and the of the lack of safety equipment like seatbelts and airbags.

Types of Law for Transportation Injury
Public transportation injury law is based on negligence just like personal injury law but falls under the common carrier law in many states. Common carrier law is the law used for people or businesses that provide public transportation including trains, public buses, taxis and trolleys. Common carriers owe their passengers the highest degree of care by providing them safe means of transportation by law. So in order to have a successful public transportation claim, you must be able to prove that the driver was negligent.

Filing Your Claim
Filing a claim after being injured on public transportation can get very complex. You have to make sure that you make your claim against the proper governmental entity. Common carrier law and standard personal injury law have different procedures when it comes to filing a claim. The statute of limitations varies for each depending on which state you reside in.

Legal Representation
So if you find yourself injured after an accident then it is in your best interest to seek medical attention for your injury and then contact an experienced public transportation attorney. You will want somebody who is an expert in this type of law so they can explain all the different components in filing a claim and help you to maximize your settlement amount.

Written By: Ryan Swapp     Legal Review By: Craig Swapp