It is possible and even common for people to get injured from to the actions of a government entity, whether city, county, state, or federal. In such cases, regular rules do not apply, and knowing the ones that do is vital to successfully winning the compensation you are owed. For instance, if you get into an accident caused by a Los Angeles Municipal Bus driver, dealing with the problem bears taking a slightly different approach than if it had been a regular motorist. Before you learn about common city bus accident settlements, the following things are worth knowing.
What Constitutes a Government Entity?
In California, as well as in most of the country, a government entity is any public employee or public entity. According to Gov. Code 811.2, “Public entity” covers the state of California, the Regents of the UCLA, the California State University trustees, and every city, county, district, public agency, public authority, political subdivision, and public corporation inside the state.
Code 811.4 gives the definition of “public employee” as “an employee of a public entity”. Examples of such entities include Sheriff’s departments, municipal buses, police departments, and courthouses.
What Steps Need to Be Taken after you are Injured by One of These Parties?
The first thing to do is seek and avail the medical attention that you need. Litigation can wait for the time it takes you to get back on your feet. Once you are stable, you need to get started on figuring out which specific government entity caused or failed to adequately prevent your injury. Starting from the date of the accident, you have six months to bring a “Notice of Claim” before entity’s governing board.
Government entities are given the right to be notified beforehand that you will be bringing a claim against them, even before a lawsuit is filed in the court of law. Most such claims get denied by the entity, but due process dictates that you file them anyway, or forfeit eligibility to file a case in court.
If you think a government entity was responsible for your injury or other loss, you will need to file the required Notice of Claim before the six-month period of allowance expires. After that, if they deny the claim, your only recourse may be to take the issue to the court. In case of an accident with a Municipal Bus operated by a county, you would need a competent bus accident attorney to help you receive your just legal entitlements.