When you send your kid off on a school bus each morning, you place a lot of trust in that they will arrive at school safely. That is why it is devastating when the unthinkable occurs and your child is involved in an accident. Follow along to find out who is liable for your child’s school bus accident and how a proficient Pike County, KY bus accident lawyer at Shane Hall Attorney At Law, PLLC can work on your behalf in discovering this.
Who may be responsible for a school bus accident?
Upon initial thought, you may assume that the school bus driver is responsible for your child’s accident. This may be true if they were found to be driving recklessly, illegally, while distracted, while intoxicated, while drowsy, or otherwise. However, there are other potential parties to blame. Examples include the following:
- A third-party driver: another driver may have similarly been driving recklessly, illegally, while distracted, while intoxicated, while drowsy, or otherwise.
- The school district: the school board district to which your child belongs may have been responsible if they neglected to hire a bus driver with an appropriate level of training and experience.
- The owner of the bus: the school bus company owner (i.e., the state of Kentucky, a government entity, or a private company) may have been responsible if they neglected to conduct proper maintenance and safety checks on the bus.
- The manufacturer of the bus: the school bus manufacturer may have been responsible if they neglected to identify and recall faulty bus parts promptly.
Importantly, a law enforcement officer should be called onto the scene of your child’s accident. This is when an official accident report will be conducted, in which the truly liable party will be identified and disclosed. So once you arrive at the scene, you must request access to a copy of this report, among other pieces of evidence. Such evidence will come in handy when satisfying your burden of proof in your upcoming personal injury claim proceedings.
What is the statute of limitations for my claim?
Understandably so, you may be considering filing a personal injury claim on your child’s behalf after they have been made a victim of a school bus accident. With this, you must be mindful of filing on time. The statute of limitations in the state of Kentucky is generally two years. This means two years from the date of the accident if no personal injury protection payments were made. Missing this deadline will result in your being permanently barred from suing.
With that being said, we recommend that you consult with a talented Pike County, KY auto accident lawyer as soon as possible. Schedule your free initial consultation with us today.
