According to reporting from MySanAntonio.com, a horrible accident involving a city bus recently occurred in downtown San Antonio. On the evening of January 8th, a VIA bus killed a 70 year old pedestrian. According to San Antonio police, the elderly woman was trying to get the VIA bus to stop, but the driver failed to notice her. The woman’s walker was clipped by the city bus and she was pulled underneath it as the VIA bus pulled away from the curb. This accident is especially heartbreaking. When appropriate precautions are not taken, city buses can be dangerous for riders, for pedestrians and for people in other vehicles. If you have been in an accident with a VIA bus, you should speak to an experienced San Antonio bus accident attorney as soon as possible.
Sovereign Immunity and VIA Bus Accidents
A legal concept known as ‘sovereign immunity’ is critical to understand when thinking about San Antonio city bus accident legal claims. Sovereign immunity, also sometimes called government immunity, is a wide ranging legal rule which makes all levels of the US government, and government entities, exempt from any civil legal action. However, that does not mean that you can not sue after a VIA bus accident. There is an exception for bus accidents under Federal Torts law. But sovereign immunity is important to recognize because the ability to sue under Federal law is much more narrow than it would be in an accident with a private bus. There are special, unique, considerations involved in suing for fair compensation after an accident with a government operated vehicle.
Accidents with Government Vehicles have Different Rules
In the city of San Antonio and the surrounding metropolitan areas in Bexar County, public buses are run by an entity known as VIA Metropolitan Transit. If you have been injured in a VIA bus accident then you will have to follow special, and much more strict, deadlines for filing your lawsuit. Time is always an important factor after vehicle accident injuries, but the time pressure is heightened in city bus accident cases. To make things even more complicated, the exact deadlines can be difficult to pin down because each jurisdiction has it’s own rules. For example, the rules and deadlines for suing a VIA bus in San Antonio will not be exactly the same as suing an El Metro Transit bus in a Laredo accident. This in contrast to standard car accidents between two private drivers, which operate under essentially identical rules throughout the state of Texas. An experienced and qualified bus accident lawyer, who understands the specific challenge city bus accident victims face, is critical.
Contact An Experienced San Antonio Bus Accident Attorney
Bus accidents, especially accidents with city buses, present unique challenges. You will need an attorney qualified to tackle those challenges. At the Law Offices of Ronald A. Ramos our team has over three decades of experience fighting hard for Texas injury victims. You deserve full and fair compensation after a bus accident, and we can help. Contact our experienced San Antonio bus accident attorney today to set up a free case review.
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