The Dangers Of Public Transportation

Public transportation allows many people to get around the city, without having to sit through traffic, deal with parking, or risk a car accident. For others, public transportation may be their only way to get to work or school. However, passengers of public transportation across the country are still at risk of being injured when the operator is not driving safely, or the vehicle is not properly maintained.

In some of the accidents, the bus driver may not have caused the crash, but the safety of the bus itself could be a cause of passenger injury. A recent report has found serious safety and operational defects in D.C. Circulator buses. A Transit Resource Center review of the bus fleet found 95% of the vehicles had unacceptable safety issues. In many cases, the drivers themselves reported safety concerns to supervisors, but the buses remained in regular use.

In Philadelphia, afternoon bus passengers were thrown from their seats when a SEPTA bus crashed into a bank. The bus driver reportedly lost control of the Route 55 bus, colliding with a PNC bank building. Up to nine of the passengers were injured in the accident. So far, it is unclear what caused the driver to lose control.

Accidents like these happen all the time. In most cases, the cause of the accident is reported as “under investigation.” It may take investigators weeks or months before they complete an investigation to determine who was at fault for the accident. However, the injured passengers don’t have the luxury of waiting around before making an injury claim. There is a time limit for individuals to file a notice of claim with the city, or their claim may be denied.

In Northeast Baltimore, 21 people were injured when an MTA bus was involved in an accident with two other vehicles. There were almost 40 passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. Some passengers refused treatment, but 20 passengers were taken to the hospital, as well as a driver of one of the vehicles. Among the injured passengers were a mother and her young child. The cause of the accident remains unclear.

Three other passengers were injured in an MTA bus crash when the bus nearly crashed into a home. The bus struck another vehicle, then spun out of control, striking the front of the house, and coming to a stop on the front lawn of a home. The bus driver and two others were taken to the hospital, one of them with serious injuries. Again, the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Passengers are not the only ones at risk of being injured by a careless bus driver. A pedestrian was recently struck and killed by a SEPTA bus in a Philadelphia suburb. The pedestrian was crossing the street when the shuttle bus turned the corner, striking the man. Paramedics arrived, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

If you or a loved one has been injured on a bus, train, or light rail car, the Gilman & Bedigian team is fully equipped to handle the complex process of filing a personal injury claim. Cases against public transportation agencies require special handling, or you could risk having your claim denied. Our attorneys have decades of litigation experience. We will focus on getting you compensated, so you can focus on healing and moving forward.