Salt Lake City Bus Accident Lawyer

Dragging Your Feet on Hiring a Lawyer

It’s understandable to wait to find a lawyer until you are at least marginally ready to have a conversation about a claim. The mistake we see people make, however, involves weeks or months, sometimes even years of delay. They do this because they look up the deadline for filing a personal injury claim in Utah, called the statute of limitations. Then, they use this date as their deadline for filing.

This is a mistake for a few reasons. The first is that time goes by quickly, and what isn’t made a priority can easily get shuffled into a pile on the corner of your desk and forgotten about.

The second reason is that even if the statute for Utah says you have four years to file most claims, there are exceptions. For instance, if your claim involves a municipality— a city, county, or state government or related agency— your deadline drops down to one year. That’s a big drop. If you’re injured by a city bus, for example, and aren’t aware of the difference in filing deadlines, you could quickly run out of time to file.

The third reason waiting for find a lawyer is a mistake makes the previous two almost irrelevant— though you’ll still need to make the filing deadline. The longer you wait to get your claim filed, the less evidence you’ll have to support that claim. Accident scenes get cleaned up; two days after a car accident, you may not even be able to tell where exactly it happened.

In addition, evidence is sometimes misplaced, intentionally or otherwise. Take for example the store video that shows you falling and hurting your back because the employees left a spill in isle three. Think that video will stick around long?

We can hope people will do the right thing, but the sooner you have an experienced attorney to conduct an accident investigation and gather evidence, the better.

This applies to witnesses, as well. Witnesses are valuable support for any injury claim. But memories fade with time, and witnesses can move or get new phone numbers and emails.

Give your Salt Lake City bus accident lawyer the best chance to build you a strong case by contacting an attorney as soon as possible.

Hiring the Wrong Lawyer

Hiring the wrong lawyer is almost as detrimental to your case as handling your case alone without one.

Statistically, people who take on their own cases are awarded far less than those who hire experienced personal injury attorneys to help them.

When you do look for a lawyer, remember that, as in the medical field, there are many specializations within the law. When selecting a surgeon to operate on a lung, you wouldn’t go with a general practitioner. Nor would you sign up with a neurologist. You’d most likely make sure your specialist matched your medical needs.

Similarly, it’s critical to match your legal needs with the person you hire to handle your claim. The best lawyer for your bus accident claim is going to be a personal injury trial attorney. This should be someone who focuses a large percentage, if not all of their practice, in the personal injury realm.

Trial experience is important, as well, because though most cases are settled before they make it in front of a jury, not all get settled. If your bus accident claim goes the distance, you’ll need someone who knows how to win your case in the courtroom.

Salt Lake City Bus Accident Client Story

The story that follows is meant to answer more questions people commonly have about bus accident claims. Though names and details have been edited to protect our client’s privacy, the value remains, so please read it to the end. When you’re done, please give us a call to schedule a free legal consultation. We’d love to answer the questions you have about your specific case.

On a sunny morning in Salt Lake City not too long ago, Mark Jones climbed aboard the city transit bus to head to his part-time assistant curator job at the art museum. Mark was 26 and weeks from earning his master’s degree in museum studies. The museum director had already encouraged him to submit an application for an associate curator position. With Mark’s new degree on top of his bachelor’s degree in art history and a minor in business administration, he felt confident he had a shot.

A painter himself, working in a prestigious museum full-time would be a dream come true. As the bus carried him eastward, Mark relaxed let his mind drift to the future.

He definitely wanted to start painting in earnest. The associate curator position offered excellent pay and would allow him generous paid time off to travel and visit museums he’d always wanted to see. Spain… Adriana wanted to see Barcelona… if he got the job, they could take the belated honeymoon they’d been saving for since selling the cars. They’d be able to—

A deafening roar engulfed the bus as it was struck by a pick-up truck trailering construction materials. The vehicles slid through the intersection and the bus flipped on its side before careening into a light pole.

Mark woke up in the intensive care unit and learned that his left hand had been amputated.

When the bus flipped over, Mark’s hand was caught between the bus bench and the side wall of the bus. It was mangled when the metal twisted and sheared away. The damage had been too great to save it.

He also sustained a concussion and a broken arm.

Mark and his wife cried together. When he quieted, he sadly held up his wrapped stump and said to Adriana, said, “At least it isn’t my painting hand.”

Adriana laughed bitterly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “The papers said the bus driver was arrested at the scene. He was drunk and ran the light,” she said, her lip trembling. “This is just so wrong.”

After a week in the hospital, the doctors felt comfortable that Mark’s concussion was improving and he wasn’t exhibiting signs of a traumatic brain injury. He was released from the hospital to begin the long road to physical and emotional recovery.

In the weeks that followed, Mark fell into a depression he didn’t know how to climb out of. The museum job was still a possibility, but he didn’t know how long it would take him to be ready to move forward physically and mentally. All he knew was that for the time-being, his world had ground to a halt.

After being home for two weeks, Adriana talked to him about us and suggested calling for a consultation. At first, he refused and said he just couldn’t deal with it. But he came around to the idea a few hours later and together they made the call.

Mark told us that he wanted to know how much it would cost to hire us, how much his case was worth, and how long it would take.

How much does it cost to hire a Salt Lake City bus accident lawyer?

We sat down with Mark and Adriana in our offices, and Mark asked how much it would cost to hire our firm. Our lawyer explained that there would be no upfront charge. “We work on a contingency model, so we only get paid when we resolve your claim successfully.”

How much is my bus accident claim worth?

“Okay, then, I guess we can ask question number two, Mark said, almost smiling. “What’s a case like mine usually worth?”

Our lawyer explained to Mark and Adriana that there are no ‘usual’ cases, because every case is unique.

“Any lawyer worth their weight should tell you that two things need to happen before they can accurately tell you the value of your claim, Mark. The first is a thorough accident investigation. The second is you reaching a point in your recovery that will allow us to be sure of your damages.

“We can get an investigation started right away, gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. We’d begin to build your case as if it were going all the way to court.

“To know what your damages are, you need to reach what is called ‘maximum medical improvement.’ This is the point at which you would be considered back to your ‘normal’ level of health. If that’s not possible, considering your injuries, then maximum medical improvement will be when you reach what would be considered a new ‘normal.’ It means you don’t need any more surgeries, and that we’re clear on what any future medical care will look like for your injuries.

To reach this point of recovery, you must be diligent in adhering to your doctor’s treatment plan. Get as much rest as you need. Keep all your doctor’s appointments, including physical and occupational therapy, counseling, whatever.

“When you reach maximum medical improvement, we’ll know what your damages are, both economic and non-economic. That is when we’ll be able to tell you the value of your bus accident claim,” said the lawyer.

“Well, I’m far more comfortable with that answer than if you’d just tossed out a dollar amount for my claim’s value without having any details,” Mark said, nodding.

How long will my bus accident case take?

With all these factors to consider, can you give us an idea of how long a claim would take?” Mark asked.

“Your case timeline is going to depend on two factors. One of them is how long it takes for you to reach maximum medical improvement. We can’t move any faster than the pace of your recovery, because we need to be completely solid on your damages before we request compensation. Your damages relate to all the ways you were, are, and will be negatively affected by the accident,” the lawyer explained.

“This process can take a while, but we need to be clear on your damages to accurately value your claim.

“You were smart to reach out when you did,” the lawyer said. “Some people get so overwhelmed dealing with their injuries that they don’t even think about getting a claim started for months, sometimes more.

“Since the Transit Authority is a municipality, you only have a year to get your case filed. We’ll have the best chance to gather evidence and build you a strong case the sooner we get started.

“Makes sense,” Mark said. “What’s the second factor that will determine the case timeline?”

“How the insurance company responds to your claim. Once you reach maximum medical improvement, we’ll send the insurance company a demand letter that will accurately reflect your damages. If they respond reasonably and are open to arriving at a fair settlement amount, we can wrap this all up. If they fight us and try to devalue your claim, we’ll head to court.

“It’s not going to be a problem, should it come to that, Mark. We have a long and successful history of handling bus accident claims both in court and at the negotiating table. The insurance company is aware of this, and that’s likely to work in our favor. It’s not unusual for an insurance company to reassess their willingness to settle once they realize who they’d be up against in the courtroom.

“For this reason, we recommend you hire a personal injury trial lawyer for your claim, whether it’s us or not,” said the lawyer.

Mark and Adriana were satisfied with our answers to their questions and retained our firm. Today, we can happily say that we brought Mark’s case through court successfully and the jury awarded him over ten times what the insurance company originally offered.

Call Our Salt Lake City Bus Accident Lawyer Today

We hope this story has helped you better understand what to expect in your bus accident claim. Keeping in mind that no two cases are identical, we urge you to call us and schedule a free legal consultation. Let us give you answers about your specific case. You don’t have to figure this all out alone. Let us help. Don’t worry about paying upfront to get the answers you need. Give us a call anytime and schedule your free legal consultation.