The bus accident victims can claim compensation for their damages by consulting a credible bus accident lawyer and filing a lawsuit against the opposite party. Note that even if you have an experienced bus accident attorney on your side, it will be helpful if you know about bus accident settlement options and lawsuits at your place. Some of the useful and unique features of bus accident lawsuits in California are given below.
Private Vs Government Employees
Unlike passenger car accidents, multiple parties can be involved in bus accidents. It mainly includes the bus driver, owner of the bus or company, and the employer of the driver. On a related note, the owner of the buses or bus companies can be either government entities or private parties. For instance, a public school bus is likely to be owned by the government.
On the other hand, a tourist bus is likely to be owned by a private party. If the defendant in a bus accident is a government entity, they are likely to get sovereign immunity that offers them the immunity from lawsuits. However, the government will give the plaintiff the right to sue rather than denying it altogether in this case. Note that the plaintiff must, however, comply with the special procedural requirements for this. When it comes to a private party, the legal proceedings will be similar to that of other road accident cases.
Statute of Limitations and Notice of Claim
Statute of limitations refers to the time period within which the victim must file a lawsuit against the opposite party to claim compensation. If a person fails to file the case before the deadline of action, he/she will be eternally barred from bringing the case to court and claiming monetary compensation. The statute of limitations tends to vary depending on the jurisdictions. In California, the statute of limitations is 2 years. However, the time period will be minimal if a government entity is involved in the case.
Similarly, the notice of claim refers to a notification about your intent to sue. Like the statute of limitations, you will lose your right to sue if you fail to file the notice of claim on time. Note that you will have to file a notice of claim within a couple of months. On a related note, a notice of claim usually documents the local rules, significant pieces of information about the accident, details about the injuries, etc.