San Antonio Bus Accident Attorney

San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer Michael Grossman Discusses Bus Accident Injuries

The VIA Metropolitan Transit in San Antonio operates more than 500 buses on 91 routes. The system encompasses almost 7,000 stops and serves hundreds of thousands of passengers every day. With such a massive operation, VIA Bus accidents are unfortunately common, and the damages they cause can be severe. If you are hurt in an accident involving a VIA bus, you need help from San Antonio VIA bus accident attorney Michael Grossman.

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VIA Bus Accidents Involving Other Vehicles

If you are a passenger on a VIA bus and you are hurt in a collision involving another vehicle, the process of seeking compensation can quickly turn into a legal nightmare. The biggest problem is that every other passenger who was hurt on the bus might be filing a lawsuit that is virtually identical to yours. If the driver who caused the accident has a typical insurance policy, it cannot possibly cover the damages of every passenger on the VIA bus. This is why you need an experienced lawyer to identify other sources of compensation (in all likelihood, the city of San Antonio). A lawyer can also help you make sure that your claim is given the priority it deserves by the other driver’s insurance company.


Accidents Caused by the VIA Bus Directly

These types of accidents could happen in a number of different ways. You might be a pedestrian who was struck by a VIA bus, you could have been hurt by the bus’s automated door, or the driver started driving before you were seated and you were hurt in a fall. Or the driver might have just been driving recklessly, causing a collision in which you were injured.

Regardless of how the accident occurred, you will be facing a similar problem in each case: you are attempting to file a personal injury lawsuit against the city of San Antonio since the VIA bus system is publicly owned. This means that you will essentially be trying to take money from the city of San Antonio by going through San Antonio courts using laws created by San Antonio legislators that were designed to protect the city of San Antonio from legal liability. Even if you deserve compensation, the process will be a highly technical matter.

Furthermore, VIA buses and their drivers are protected by massive commercial insurance carriers. These carriers employ extremely aggressive insurance adjusters and defense attorneys who have a proven track record denying claims just like the one you will be attempting to file. There is a lot of money on the line for these insurance companies (approximately 50 times more than in a standard passenger vehicle wreck), and so they will put forth a lot of effort into defending themselves.

But our experienced attorneys can help you seek the justice you deserve. We have over twenty years of experience handling all kinds of public transit accident cases, and we know how to deal with the fact that you will be filing a claim against a government body. We have also faced every major commercial insurance carrier in the country, and their adjusters and defense lawyers know who we are. They do not want to face our attorneys in court, so they often offer large settlements without us ever taking a case to trial. This means that we can get you the compensation you need quickly and effectively, so that you can get on with your life. So if you or a family member has been hurt in a VIA bus accident, contact San Antonio VIA bus accident attorney Michael Grossman today.


Some of Our Most Recent Successful Cases
$335,000.00 Recovery - Wrongful Death/ Commercial Vehicle Accident
The mother of a young man hired our firm to investigate the death of her son following a fatal car accident. The incident occurred as one of the two vehicles involved ran a red light and drive into the path of the other. The defendant was driving a work vehicle for a construction company. The defendant survived the accident and stated to police that the decedent caused the accident. The police could not conclusively determine who was at fault, yet the police report strongly implied that the decedent was likely at fault based on the statement provided by the defendant.

The plaintiff's mother was not convinced. Through a thorough investigation, we ultimately determined that the stoplight that the defendant claimed that our client ran, in fact, worked on a timer whereby the light was always green between certain hours unless a vehicle traveling on the intersecting road had been stopped at the right light for more than 30 seconds. Based on an analysis of the vehicles and tire markings, it was conclusively determined that both vehicles were traveling at the speed limit, which clearly indicates that the defendant driver had not accelerated from stop, rather, he was traveling at the speed limit, which would not have triggered a green light for the defendant.

The logical implications of this information is that the light could not have been red for the plaintiff, and it certainly would have been red for the defendant. As a consequence of this information, the case was resolved through litigation.
Total Recovery:
$335,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$134,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$63,000.00
Confidential Recovery - Wrongful Death / Commercial Vehicle Accident
(policy limits) Our firm was hired by the wife and children of a retired Army Colonel who was killed in an underide 18-wheeler accident. In addition to being a decorated veteran, the decedent worked both professionally and on a voluntary basis to establish numerous learning institutions and vocational programs for at risk youths. The accident occurred as the decedent was traveling on a rural highway when an 18-wheeler failed to yield the right of way and made a rolling stop through a stop sign.

This placed the trailer of the 18-wheeler in a position whereby it blocked the entire roadway and shoulder, leaving the decedent no option but to collide with the trailer. Witnesses on the scene attempted to revive him but to no avail. Furthermore, while two female eye witnesses struggled to pry open the decedent's door to provide emergency care, the truck driver stayed in his truck and offered no assistance. Despite what appeared to be an incredibly apparent case of negligence on behalf of the defendant, defense counsel refused to accept liability resulting in rather lengthy litigation.

The defendants initially denied the claim based on the allegation that the decedent was speeding and the truck driver therefore could not adequately gauge the amount of time he had to pause at the stop sign. The physical evidence contradicted this notion entirely, notwithstanding the fact that even if the decedent had been contributorily negligent, that would not have outweighed the severe degree of negligence on the part of the defendant. Nevertheless, our attorneys were able to conclusively refute this argument based on eye-witness testimony and the testimony from police investigators who calculated the decedent's speed to be precisely at the posted speed limit. In a desperate and largely unprecedented move, the defendants then designated the state as a responsible third party.

Generally speaking, a defendant will often threaten to designate a third party in order to leverage their position but it is rare that such an arbitrary and arguably frivolous designation is actually carried out. However, that is precisely what occurred and the state was thusly incorporated into the lawsuit by the defendants. The basis of the defendant's argument was that the state erected a large street sign that obstructed the truck driver's view of approaching traffic.

Several months of intense litigation were required to before the defendant finally acquiesced in regard to this argument. The argument was finally abandoned by the defendants when in the first mediation our attorneys presented video footage shot (in a controlled setting) from the perspective of an 18-wheeler driver which showed that the sign simply did not obstruct enough of the roadway in order to be a hazard. The case was ultimately resolved through litigation.
Total Recovery:
Confidential
Attorney Fees:
Confidential
Litigation Expenses:
Confidential
$1,000,000.00 Recovery - Wrongful Death/ Commercial Vehicle Accident
(policy limits) A husband and father of three was killed when the driver of an 18-wheeler veered into oncoming traffic, striking the young man's vehicle and several others. The defendant was employed by a small construction company that operated only a single 18-wheeler. As such, the defendants were largely underinsured and were not financially solvent.

Furthermore, the defendants had an eroding insurance policy and numerous other parties were intent upon filing claims of their own since the 18-wheeler struck multiple other vehicles. This created the need for an aggressive and rapid response before the other claimants could erode the policy.

Defense counsel made it clear that they wished to litigate the case despite the insurmountable liability arguments that our attorneys presented. They intended to designate a third party as a responsible defendant since the accident happened in a construction zone, even though it was abundantly clear that the construction zone played no role in the crash.

Additonally, the defendants made it clear that they wished to downplay the extent of the damages by virtue of a character assasination on the decedent. Fortunately for our clients, our firm has successfully litigated against the defendant's insurer in nearly a dozen cases, so the carrier was quite aware of our courtroom capabilities. We presented a sample lawsuit to the defendant's insurance carrier and informed them that the lawsuit was to be filed the moment that they refused to settle.

Additionally, our attorneys submitted a Stowers' Demand with a brief window of time for the defendants to respond. We made it abundantly clear that we intended to seek punitive damages and that we would assert the full limits of the carrier's exposure under the Stowers' Demand should the carrier not offer policy limits.

The defendant's attorney adamantly persuaded the carrier to litigate, however, our attorney's threats of litigation, past track record, and incredibly aggressive pre-litigation actions convinced the insurance carrier to disregard their own attorney's advice and to settle the case, lest they face our attorneys in court.

Had our clients been represented by virtually any other firm who did not have our specific track record or who would have not recognized that this case required special and immediate attention coupled with an abnormally aggressive stance, the client's would have certainly been tied up in litigation for years, with the limited supply of funds rapidly depleting since the other claimants who did not need to litigate would have essentially had right of first refusal.
Total Recovery:
$1,000,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$333,333.00
Litigation Expenses:
$0.00
$145,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Back and Neck Injury)
Recovery for driver struck from behind by 18-wheeler: Driver sustained back and neck injury.
Total Recovery:
$145,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$48,333.00
Litigation Expenses:
$2,696.00
$200,000.00 Recovery - Automobile Accident (Closed Head Injury)
Recovered for car accident victim who suffered a closed head injury.
Total Recovery:
$200,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$66,666.00
Litigation Expenses:
$1,500.00
$350,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Back Injury Requiring Surgery)
Our client, a middle-aged woman, was injured when an 18-wheeler rear-ended her vehicle. As a consequence of the wreck, she sustained a back injury which required surgery to remedy. Naturally, the defendants denied liability and argued that the accident was unavoidable. Our attorneys filed suit. The defendant driver initially claimed that our client suddenly changed lanes in front of his tractor-trailer and then inexplicably slammed onto her brakes. When confronted with eye-witness testimony and other physical evidence that reflected an entirely different scenario, the truck driver ultimately recanted. The case was successfully resolved through litigation.
Total Recovery:
$350,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$140,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$8,188.00
$60,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries & Chiropractic Treatment)
Recovered for client who was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler resulting in soft tissue injuries and chiropractic treatment.
Total Recovery:
$60,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$20,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$1,050.00
$41,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries)
Recovery for client who suffered soft tissue injuries when she was struck by an 18-wheeler.
Total Recovery:
$41,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$13,666.00
Litigation Expenses:
$135.00
$90,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Soft-Tissue Injuries and Leg Contusions)
Recovered for client who suffered soft-tissue back injuries and leg contusions in an 18-wheeler accident.
Total Recovery:
$90,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$30,000.00
Litigation Expenses:
$562.00
$875,000.00 Recovery - Commercial Vehicle Accident (Back Injury Requiring Surgery)
Plaintiff suffered a back injury resulting in spinal fusion surgery when her car was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler. The defendants argued that the accident was unavoidable, thus denying liability. Litigation commenced and the case was satisfactorily resolved soon thereafter.
Total Recovery:
$875,000.00
Attorney Fees:
$288,750.00
Litigation Expenses:
$2,500.00

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