Renting a tour bus is an efficient and safe way to bring a big cluster of people to tourist destinations. But the bus the accidents occur and leading to lawsuits and insurance claims. Different parties can become defendants in lawsuits for bus accident injuries which depend on contractual relationship and terms.

This unit is an overview of how liability is decided upon, which parties may be sued for damages, and other issues that are associated with bus accidents.

The Bus as a General Carrier

Buses are considered as “common carriers” by the federal and most of the state laws. A common carrier is unit with responsibility in transporting people or goods from one place to another location for compensation. These buses come in the form of school bus, commercial bus, and tour bus. They also serve as cruise ships, commercial planes, trucks, and even taxicabs. The common carrier must practice a greater level of diligence and care as to the safety of their passengers. Most of the successful lawsuits against the common carriers come from the negligence or willful acts. With other negligence claims, the courts apply the “reasonableness” standards.

This means that when a reasonably careful us driver is expected to stop at a reasonably safe place for the passengers, adhere to the traffic laws, and do not make risky practices. When the negligence results to injuries, thus, the injured party may file lawsuit for damages. How about when the drunk driver hits a bus resulting to injuries to the passengers? The court may not find the bus driver negligent because there is a reasonably careful operator would not have predicted this accident.

Determining the Liable Party for Tour Bus Accidents

This task in knowing the responsible party for the bus accident injury may appear to be simple initially, but it is not always obvious. There are varying parties that may be found accountable for the bus accidents. It maybe the company that was contracted to give the bus service to a school, the individual driver, and even the school district. Several parties may be held responsible for the contributory negligence when they are at least partially to be liable for the injury-causing accident.

• Bus Company that owns the vehicle must have reasonably safe buses, must only employ properly licensed drivers who meet the basic requirements, and generally must show that they are fit as common carriers to other parties in the contract. Although these requirements are met, a negligent driver can subject the bus company to liability.
• Tour Company provides buses to transport passengers to some destination. When a tour company obtains a contract with a bus company, it has a responsibility to employ a company with a clean record for safety. If injuries do happen on the bus which is operated by a company which is known for several safety violations, the tour company may share accountability with the owner of the bus. Tour companies that have their own bus are held liable to the same degree of liability as bus companies.
• Different Bus Destinations refer to tour buses that basically stop at several different places for the entire tour. This means that the passengers are exposed to different conditions at every location. When a tourist who slips on an oil slick breaking her hip after leaving a bus may hold the owner of the venue responsible for her injuries.

Whether the accidents happen on a chartered tour us or a yellow school bus, bus accidents may sometimes happen, and when they do, they are usually are results of negligence.

Further inquiries and more valuable information can be explained and discuss with you by an experienced lawyer. Find an experienced lawyer in your locality and contact him/her to explain the complex subjects of the law pertaining to your case.