How does a law firm begin an investigation into a bus accident involving injuries and wrongful death?
Determining cause in an accident involving a bus is vital to a claim but it may not always be as easy as it sounds. In a situation where multiple vehicles are involved in a single collision, it is not uncommon for the defendant driver to place fault, in whole or in part, on other drivers involved in the crash. And because every eyewitness to an accident sees the crash from a different perspective, position and point on a timeline, it’s reasonable to assume that eyewitness testimonies will collide. Like airline and semi tractor-trailer accidents, a thorough investigation of the accident scene, named responsible parties, environmental conditions at the time of the accident, vehicles involved, eyewitness testimony and the employment of an expert in accident reconstruction may ultimately reveal the cause or combination of causes responsible for the accident and the injuries received.
Talk with the law enforcement investigative team
In depth interviews with State Police or investigating law enforcement officers by lawyers representing the injured or deceased persons, may reveal the preliminary facts of the accident as determined by the investigating authorities who were at the scene only minutes after the accident occurred.
Download data from the black box and thoroughly inspect the bus and it’s components
Attorneys representing plaintiffs injured in a bus crash will immediately put on notice the owner-operator of the bus to refrain from making any repairs to the vehicle before it has received a thorough inspection by impartial experts, thus preventing spoliation of evidence including the on-board data recorder. The data recorder chronicles the final moments of the bus before impact, i.e. velocity and rpms or revolutions per minute over a specific period of time, usually a matter of seconds. Think of the “black box” as an accurate and impartial observer of what went down moments before the accident.
Engage a private investigator
Meanwhile, a private investigator will search the driving records and public court records including any criminal prosecutions against the defendant driver. The
investigator, hired by the plaintiffs’ attorney, will make contact and record conversations with eyewitnesses and others involved in the crash. Each person will be examined about road and weather conditions at the time of the crash, their position relative to other vehicles involved in the accident and asked to give their best accounting of what occurred relative to their perspective at the time of the accident. They will also be asked to recall conversations with others at the scene and events that may have taken place after the accident.
Call Bus Accident Lawyer Charlie Ward at 1-888-639-9501
If you or someone you know has been injured or killed in an accident involving a bus, you should speak to an experienced Indianapolis, IN personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. The lawyers at Ward & Ward Law Firm have more than 85 years of combined experience in personal injury law involving bus accidents, motorcycle, car and trucking accidents. Give Charlie a call today at 317-639-9501 for a free evaluation of your claim.
