photo__2408910_rosenfeld

Legally Reviewed by:

Jonathan Rosenfeld
J.D

March 2, 2023

Over $400 Million worth of case results

Awarded The Best Lawyer in 2024 by U.S. News

Nationally Recognized in Legal Community

Illinois Bus Accident Cases?Illinois has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure. It’s built new roads, lanes, and support systems for bus transit. Just in Chicago alone, they dot the streets. They move millions of people each day. With that transit, comes injuries. With those injuries, comes pain, expenses, and tragedy. We want to discuss now the subject of bus accidents and your rights to recover. Many people don’t know what to do after they’ve been in a bus crash. This information should help you if you’re put in this unfortunate circumstance.

  1. What are Your Rights to Recover After a Bus Accident in Illinois?
  2. What can You get From a Bus Accident Lawsuit?
  3. How do You Bring a Case for Bus Accident Damages?
  4. Illinois Bus Accident Awards and Settlements
  5. Call Us to Begin Your Bus Accident Case Today!

Before figuring out what you can get after a bus accident in Illinois involving an injury or fatality, it’s important to realize why you’re allowed to recover. The law in every state allows people to bring actions against others that have wrongfully damaged them. Typically, this is brought through a negligence cause of action. Negligence means someone acted unreasonably and you got hurt because of it. How you’re hurt can differ. It can be financial. For instance, you could have lost wages, damaged property, or medical bills. It could be intangible. For example, you could have pain, disability, or disfigurement.

Whatever the case, as long as you can show that the defendant’s unreasonable act caused your losses, you can recover. In the context of bus accidents, this might relate to the driver’s erratic driving, permitting unruly passengers, or unsafe conditions. Bus companies owe you a certain level of service and safety. If they don’t deliver on that promise, you can bring a case against them for your damages. Now, we’ll review what those damages might look like.

Back to the Top

What can You get From a Bus Accident Lawsuit (for Injuries)?

We already discussed the broad categories of recovery that you can seek compensation for in a lawsuit after an Illinois bus accident. They cover losses for economic and non-economic reasons. When you’re trying to figure out what you can get, it’s part science and part magic. The science is your economic loss. That’s pretty straightforward. You can easily tally your bills, wages, and other losses of the sort. The magic is your non-economic damage. How do you put a figure on disfigurement, disability, or death? Arriving at these numbers requires investigation, persuasion, and information. Typically, we see non-economic awards double or triple economic awards. Therefore, a rule of thumb is to use your economic damages as the multiplier base. Tally all of those things and that should be the floor for your recovery. If you have intangible losses, then multiply them accordingly. Remember, this will only give you a general estimate. Work with an experienced attorney to arrive at a precise figure for what your Illinois bus accident case will be worth.

Back to the Top

How do You Bring a Personal Injury Case for Bus Accident Damages?

The most important to remember in cases for bus accidents in Illinois is timing. You typically have just two years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for personal injuries. Before you file the case, you need to conduct extensive investigations and research. When you file it, the complaint must contain certain information to constitute a proper case. All of that info can be corralled by a competent attorney. The procedures of which should be customary to a skilled lawyer. All you need to know is that it takes a lot of effort, time, and experience to bring a case after a bus crash. It’s not good to wait. Your recovery depends on your urgency. To learn more about how you can bring a case in Illinois for bus accident damages, call our offices. We work with victims of all kinds of automobile incidents. We can show you where the path to recovery is!

Back to the Top

Illinois Bus Accident Awards and Settlements for Cases Involving Injured Passengers, Pedestrians & Other Motorists

$600,000 ILLINOIS BUS ACCIDENT SETTLEMENT.

A man in Cook County, Illinois brought a lawsuit against the Chicago Transit Authority and a bus driver after the latter turned into oncoming and struck his vehicle. The crash caused the plaintiff significant injuries. He hurt his back and sustained wounds all across his body. Doctors recommended and performed spinal surgery. In the subsequent lawsuit, he complained that the driver was negligent in the operation of the bus and the jury agreed. They awarded him $655,000 in damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of normal life, and distress.

$4,500,000 ILLINOIS BUS ACCIDENT SETTLEMENT.

A man’s estate brought a wrongful death lawsuit in Cook County, Illinois after two tires disengaged from a bus and slammed into his car as he was driving down the road. The man died not long after impact. Among the many complaints lodged within the suit were a variety of claims involving negligence: hiring, supervision, inspection, maintenance, etc. Both sides worked out a confidential settlement. However, the total recovery is estimated to be roughly $4,500,000.

$1,000,000 ILLINOIS BUS ACCIDENT JURY AWARD.

In this case, a kid was riding down her driveway on her bike when she was hit by a school bus. She was only four years old. The damage was severe: broken pelvic bone, disrupted urethra, ruptured spleen, broken hip, lacerations, and other personal injuries. This case was interesting because the plaintiff sued the school that employed the bus driver as well as the child’s babysitter who was watching the child at the time of the incident. In fact, the jury found that the babysitter was largely responsible and saddled her with the majority of the responsibility for the $800,000 award they gave the minor.

$1,160,000 ILLINOIS BUS ACCIDENT SETTLEMENT.

This incident is as unique as it is tragic. A women was driving down a road in Cook County, Illinois when tires flew off a bus and hit the car in front of her. The driver of that car was actually her fiancé and the tires struck and killed him. She ran up after and saw him hunched over and dead. She sued the company for negligent hiring, supervision, and bus upkeep as well as emotional distress. The two sides decided to work out an agreement in private settlement and she received $1,160,000 for the trauma and expense of the affair.

$1,570,000 ILLINOIS BUS ACCIDENT SETTLEMENT.

A woman in Lake County, Illinois was hit by a bus mirror while doing her crossing guard duties. The effects were not minimal: broken bones, concussion, and scars just to name a few. She racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and tens of thousands of dollars in lost income. Thankfully, she was able to recoup these expenses and injuries in settlement to the tune of $1,570,000.

$3,100,000 ILLINOIS BUS ACCIDENT JURY AWARD.

This accident started when a man was hit by a bus in a crosswalk. He was even dragged for a certain amount of time as the vehicle came to a halt. Unfortunately, the victim did not survive his injuries. The decedent’s wife later brought suit against the bus company for the injuries that he sustained as well as the injuries that she sustained because of the event. The defendant denied that it was at fault and said that the man darted out in front of the vehicle. The jury disagreed and awarded the women $3,100,000 in damages for pain, suffering, lost relations, and expenses.

Back to the Top

Contact Us to Begin Your Bus Accident Case Today

Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has helped many victims of bus accidents turn their injuries into claims and settlements. Let us help you too. We can fight for your rights and recover the compensation that you deserve at no cost until the suit has successfully concluded. Want to hear about what your claim could obtain? Then call Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC today!

Client Reviews

Jonathan Rosenfeld was professionally objective, timely, and knowledgeable. Also, his advice was extremely effective regarding my case. In addition, Jonathan was understanding and patient pertaining to any of my questions or concerns. I was very happy with the end result and I highly recommend Jonathan Rosenfeld.

- Michonne Proulx

Extremely impressed with this law firm. They took control of a bad motorcycle crash that left my uncle seriously injured. Without any guarantee of a financial recovery, they went out and hired accident investigators and engineers to help prove how the accident happened. I am grateful that they worked on a contingency fee basis as there was no way we could have paid for these services on our own.

- Ethan Armstrong

Jonathan helped my family heal and get compensation after our child was suffered a life threatening injury at daycare. He was sympathetic and in constant contact with us letting us know all he knew every step of the way. We were so blessed to find Jonathan!

- Giulia

This lawyer really helped me get compensation for my motorcycle accident case. I know there is no way that I could have gotten anywhere near the amount that Mr. Rosenfeld was able to get to settle my case. Thank you.

- Daniel Kaim

Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial.

- Lisa
Free Consultation (888) 424-5757
TAP TO CALL TAP TO TEXT