King County Metro and Sound Transit generally provide excellent bus and light rail train services, but accidents do happen wherein persons are injured or killed. Such injuries can happen in many situations, like injuries to passengers from a bus or train hitting another vehicle, being in a vehicle hit by a bus or train, being injured from a dangerous condition on the bus or train, or being a pedestrian, motorcyclist, or bicyclist in an accident caused by a bus driver or locomotive engineer.
If you have been injured in an accident involving a bus or train in Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Edmonds or Lynnwood, there are a number of things to consider:
Who is responsible?
- A negligent bus driver or locomotive engineer, by, for example, breaching a duty to passengers and other road users or pedestrians, or failing to follow training guidelines.
- King County Metro or Sound Transit, by poor training or supervision, or negligent hiring.
- The bus/train or bus/train component manufacturer, in cases where equipment malfunctions.
- State or city agencies responsible for road maintenance and design.
- If the bus is a tour bus owned by a private agency, the private agency may also be responsible for poor maintenance, training, or supervision of staff and drivers.
Hiring an attorney will ensure you receive maximum compensation for your damages.
It is important to follow the same dos and don'ts after the accident as with all other vehicle accidents.
If a public agency, like King County Metro or Sound Transit, is involved, you must follow certain claims procedures before suing; these procedures must be followed perfectly, where you could forfeit your right to sue. Please contact us for a free consultation.
Please remember the Statute of Limitations, which is a certain period in which you must sue the person who caused the accident, and if you do not, you will forever lose the ability to do so. In Washington, generally, you must sue within three years of the date of the accident.