Staten Island Bus Accident Lawyer

Call 911 and get medical care. Write down the route (an S local or SIM express number), the bus number on the front or side, the direction, the stop or cross street and the time. Photograph the scene and your injuries and collect witness names. Ask the NYPD for the report number and tell the operator so the incident is logged. Do not sign anything for an insurer, and call us early: a transit or City claim can need a notice within 90 days.

For a New York City Transit bus, a notice of claim must be served on the Transit Authority itself within 90 days; a notice to the City Comptroller does not count. Thirty days must pass before suit, and suit is generally due within one year and 90 days, though some transit claims may have one year. MTA Bus Company is an MTA subsidiary: no notice of claim is needed for an injury claim, but the claim must be presented first.

MTA local buses (S routes), Select Bus Service on some corridors and the SIM express buses to Manhattan, which the MTA has run in full since January 2022; yellow school buses run by companies under contract with New York City; and private charter and intercity coaches. Each has a different claim path, so we confirm the operator from the bus number and the operator’s records.

The MTA corporation that ran the bus, usually confirmed from the bus number and depot records, and any other negligent driver. The transit rules for that corporation apply even if the crash happened in Brooklyn or Manhattan. A suit against the Transit Authority is generally brought in the county where the claim arose (CPLR 505(b)), which for a crash on the way into Manhattan may not be Richmond County. We check that before filing.

The New York State Department of Health lists these designated adult trauma centers in Richmond County: Staten Island University Hospital North, Richmond University Medical Center (Level I adult). Ambulance crews choose the hospital, and serious injuries may go to a center in another borough. Keep every record and bill from the first visit on.

New York City Transit: a notice of claim within 90 days, suit generally within one year and 90 days. MTA Bus Company: the claim presented, 30 days, suit within one year and 90 days. The City (for example in some school-bus claims): a Comptroller notice within 90 days. A private company or driver: generally three years. Death claims, tolls and exceptions follow separate rules, so we calculate the date for your case.

Yes. A collision is not required. Bus operators owe passengers reasonable care under the circumstances, the rule New York’s highest court set in Bethel v New York City Transit Authority (1998). For a fall when the bus braked, the passenger must show a jerk or lurch that was “unusual or violent,” proved by more than calling it that (Urquhart, 1995). Bus video, the bus’s data and other riders’ accounts are usually the proof; note your seat and the time.

Yes, mainly because of who runs the bus. New York City’s school bus service is provided by private companies under contract; the City’s Office of Pupil Transportation does not own buses or employ drivers. A claim against the company generally has three years. If the City or its schools may also be responsible, a notice of claim with the Comptroller is due within 90 days. Drivers who pass a stopped school bus with its red lights on may share fault.

We do not rank routes or roads by accidents. Local S routes run on main corridors such as Hylan Boulevard, and SIM express buses use the expressways and bridges. For a claim, what matters is the operator, the bus number and the time, which lead to the bus video and the operator’s report.

Call 911 so the NYPD responds and prepares a report; ask for the report number. Tell the bus operator so it files its own incident report. For a school bus, also tell the school and the bus company. For a private coach, get the company name and the USDOT number painted on the bus. Report the crash to your own auto insurer if you were in a car. Then call us before speaking with any insurer.

We identify the bus company, the route and the school, then ask the company and the City to keep video, GPS and driver records. A claim against the company is generally due within three years. If the City may be responsible, the Comptroller notice is due within 90 days, the City may require a sworn examination, and suit follows within one year and 90 days. For a child, some limits are extended, but notice deadlines still need attention right away.