Buses running under the authority and supervision of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) cover a wide area with dozens of routes and numerous possibilities for accidents in and around the city of Philadelphia.
It is assumed that SEPTA has an excellent training program for its drivers, but there is no question that SEPTA buses seem to be involved in a high number of collisions. Here is the rundown of one recent night, which saw three SEPTA buses involved in accidents within a three-hour time span:
- One Route 47 bus heading south on 8th Street struck another vehicle. The 41-year-old male driver was transported to Hahnemann Hospital, while two of the bus passengers, a 65-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman, were also taken to the hospital. Fortunately, none of the injuries were life threatening.
- A couple of hours later, another SEPTA accident occurred at 54th Street and Spring Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. The Route 52 bus collided with a car there. Both the bus driver and the 50-year-old female driver of the vehicle were injured. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital.
- Ten minutes later, a SEPTA bus crashed head on with another vehicle at 19th and Arch in the city. The Route 33 bus driver suffered minor injuries.
Accidents involving SEPTA buses do indeed seem to be quite frequent. Here are some of the causes of SEPTA bus accidents when its drivers or vehicles are at fault:
- Mechanical defects with the buses, especially with the braking system
- Tire blow-outs
- Inexperienced or poorly trained drivers
- Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Driver fatigue
If you have been involved in an accident involving a SEPTA bus, you are going to need help to take on the team of lawyers that SEPTA has at the ready. A skilled bus accident lawyer will be able to quickly determine if the driver, SEPTA or even the bus manufacturer are liable for your injuries.
A good bus accident attorney will dig into your case to prove what really occurred on the road, but you need to contact a personal injury lawyer quickly so that your claim is received before the statute of limitations expires.
Whether you have been the victim of an accident involving a SEPTA bus as the driver or passenger of the other vehicle, as a pedestrian struck by a SEPTA bus, or even as a passenger on a SEPTA bus, contact us today to discuss your case and how to proceed.
No one is simply trying to play “gotcha” when a SEPTA bus has an accident, but if the bus driver was working too much overtime or evidenced fatigue and operated the bus in an unsafe manner, for instance, then you, as the victim, are entitled to compensation for your injuries, lost work time and even pain and suffering.
Don’t let an insurance company or SEPTA cajole you into accepting a settlement that could be inadequate to pay for the care that you will need to get back on your feet. SEPTA and the insurance companies often do not take into account future medical bills that come from subsequent surgeries and rehab, nor do they calculate lost work time, which might result from your injuries or future doctor and therapist appointments.
An experienced bus accident lawyer will know how much time and money you will need to complete the healing process and emerge with your finances intact. No matter how informed you believe you are, you simply do not have the necessary experience to accurately measure how much compensation you deserve. Let a skilled bus accident attorney help.
We assume SEPTA bus drivers are always driving in a safe and cautious manner, and we applaud many in that system who deliver hundreds of thousands of passengers to their destinations every day without incident.
However, when on one single recent night, three accidents occur within a few hours of one another, it is time to call SEPTA to account and verify that its drivers are well trained and rested, that buses are well maintained and roadworthy, and that every single accident involving a SEPTA bus is the fault of the other driver (highly unlikely!).
Contact us immediately if you have been in an accident with a SEPTA bus. We know how to interact with SEPTA lawyers and authorities and have a strong record of arguing successfully on behalf of victims of accidents involving SEPTA.