PORTLAND BUS ACCIDENT LAWYER

Portland bus accident lawyer Travis Mayor has a decade of experience protecting the rights of victims injured by buses, light rail, or commuter rail transit in Oregon. Solving issues and problems involving insurance, right-of-way laws, establishing at-fault liability, and seeking fair and equitable compensation are only a few of the ways we can help if you have been injured in a bus accident.

Types of bus accidents include city and transit bus accidents, light rail accidents, school bus accidents, and private and charter buses. When you hire Portland rising star attorney Travis Mayor, you receive the highest quality legal representation, and you will also have an attorney who produces results, is knowledgeable and experienced, and will not shy away from litigating the case if that is what will produce exceptional results.

Travis is ready to learn about your case and provide insight into a strategy to pursue your Oregon bus accident injury claim for compensation.

Call today for your free and confidential case evaluation: (503) 610-0005 or 1 (800) 949-1481

challenges facing Portland bus accident victims

More and more Oregonians are taking advantage of public transportation as a means of getting around the greater Portland area. In fact, 100 million trips are taken each year, with 45% of rush-hour commuters going into Portland via public transportation. This increased level of commuter activity creates a growing challenge for Portland’s Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District (TriMet), to safely serve the TriMet riders and safely share the road with pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists in the greater Portland Metropolitan area.

TriMet[1] operates a substantial fleet of buses and rail cars providing over 100 million trips each year including:

659 buses on 77 routes, with a ridership of 62.3 million trips;
145 MAX light rail cars on five lines, with a ridership of 37.7 million trips;
5 WES Commuter Rail cars, with a ridership of 475,000 trips;
268 LIFT paratransit buses and vans, with a ridership of 1 million trips.

TriMet’s safety focus and record has improved over the years, but there are still a significant number of accidents resulting in approximately 655 bus collisions each year, and 62 MAX collisions per year. For example, here are some prior news articles regarding TriMet accidents:

TriMet Riders

TriMet accidents create special challenges for Portland bus accident victims:

If you have been injured in a TriMet bus or MAX railcar accident, then you will face certain issues that are different from a typical car accident.

First, TriMet is a municipal corporation of the State of Oregon, meaning a public body. Claims against public bodies have additional notice requirements.. To pursue a claim for your injuries against a public corporation like TriMet, you must first provide a written Tort Claim Notice to TriMet within 180 days of the incident, or within one-year if there is a death. If you fail to do this you can be precluded from pursuing your injury claim and recovering compensation. This is a very short timeframe in which to gather information about the accident and your injuries, determine liability, and formulate claims. This is where an experienced Portland Bus Accident lawyer can be effective. Also, in cases where a wrongful death has occurred, the statute of limitations against public bodies like Tri-Met is reduced from 3 years down to 2 years.

Second, the causes of bus collisions can be complex requiring a significant amount of investigation into company personnel, training, and maintenance records, to determine the underlying cause of the bus accident. This cause might have a significant bearing on who is liable, in whole or in part, for your injuries. For example, if a third party is hired to perform driver background checks and fails to adequately do so, they may be liable. If a third party is hired to perform bus maintenance and fails to adequately maintain the tire and brakes, they may be liable. If there are defects in the bus or the buses safety equipment, the manufacturer may be liable. Factors that enter into this analysis include:

Condition of the vehicle – proper safety equipment, worn parts like tires and brakes
Maintenance record – up-to-date, no safety recalls
Driver and working conditions – fatigue, training, experience
Driver health – drugs, alcohol, physical wellbeing
Operating conditions – bad weather, poor visibility
Failure to adhere to traffic laws – illegal turns, failure to yield, speeding

Third, TriMet is self-insured. This means that all liability cases are handled by in-house staff who are well versed in defense strategy and tactics – they have defended TriMet hundreds, if not a thousand times before, and they know how to minimize your settlement. You need an experienced Portland Bus Accident Lawyer, like Travis Mayor, who is ready and financially capable of litigating your case.

bus accident frequently asked questions (faqs)

I WAS INJURED IN A BUS ACCIDENT AND I WANT TO FILE A CLAIM FOR MY INJURIES — WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Answer: There are many things you should do, and not do if you have been injured in a bus accident and need to file a claim for your injuries.

First, seek medical attention. Your health and wellbeing are the first priority. If your injuries are such that you do not need medical attention, then you probably do not have serious injury claims. Because you were injured in an accident Oregon law requires you to file an Oregon Accident and Insurance Report directly with the Oregon DMV within 72 hours (three days) of the accident.

Second, take time to record (written notes) what you remember about the accident details: what happened, who was involved, details of the accident location, names of involved parties and witnesses, and comments made by anyone involved in or witnessed the accident.

Third, preserve any documents or information you have such as pictures, recordings, information exchanged, medical bills and records, etc.

Fourth, seek the help and assistance of an experienced Oregon bus accident lawyer to evaluate the merits of your case and guide you on what to do next. We always recommend having your attorney deal directly with the municipal corporation if they are self-insured or defense insurance company adjusters and their attorneys. Be sure not to provide a recorded statement to anyone without first discussing the statement with your attorney. Having an experienced bus accident lawyer on your team will change how the defendant’s team of lawyers address any potential settlement, and the degree to which they take your claims seriously.

Fifth, the amount of compensation (damages) that an injured person can recover from TriMet and other public bodies is limited (capped) by the Oregon Tort Claims Act. In serious injury cases, it is crucial to investigate all possible liable persons and entities to learn if a non-public body might also be liable such as another driver, another company or a defective equipment manufacturer.

HOW MUCH TIME DO I HAVE TO FILE A CLAIM / LAWSUIT AFTER A BUS ACCIDENT?

Answer: Because most public transportation is owned and operated by public or municipal corporations, the statute of limitations on serving a Tort Claim Notice (if you are suing a public entity such as TriMet) is 180 days from the date of the incident, otherwise you may lose your right to file a claim. Tort Claim Notice is written notice to the appropriate public body that you intend on pursuing a claim for compensation based on a particular incident. The Tort Claim Notice must provide the who, what, why, when, where and how so that the public organization can investigate the claim. The timeframe for filing a Tort Claim Notice may be extended in certain circumstances such as wrongful death (one year), or if the injured party is unable to give notice because of their injuries, or the injured person is a minor. In addition to providing written tort claim notice, the injured person must also comply with the statute of limitations, which is the time period for settling a claim or filing a lawsuit. In Oregon, the statute of limitations against all public bodies is two years from the date of the incident that caused the injury or death. From a practical point-of-view, it is difficult to take any case where you are backed up against the tort claim notice deadline or the statute-of-limitations because of the effort required to investigate, prepare, and file a lawsuit. So even though the time frame for providing notice may not have expired, it is in your best interests to contact an experienced Oregon Bus Accident Lawyer to evaluate your case and determine an appropriate course of action, based on the specific facts of the case.

Can I Pursue an Injury Claim if I was a passenger on the bus?

Answer: Yes. It is not uncommon for passengers on public and private buses to become seriously injured when the bus is involved in some form of crash. Like many injury cases, it takes an experienced Oregon Bus Accident Lawyer to determine everyone who may be at fault for the crash that caused injuries. Liable persons could include the driver of another motor vehicle, the bus driver, the entity that owned and operated the bus, the manufacturer of the bus or the bus’s equipment, the city, county or state that is responsible for the road or intersection where the crash occurred, and other potential parties. Who or what is responsible is always determined on a case by case basis and is very fact driven. However, having an experienced bus accident lawyer who knows how to investigate and uncover the facts of the crash can be crucial to proving liability and maximizing your compensation.

SHOULD I SEEK THE ADVICE OF A Portland Bus ACCIDENT ATTORNEY TO HELP GUIDE ME?

Answer: Yes. Personal injury cases involving bus accidents can be quite complicated and involve issues such as determining who was at fault, comparative negligence, and presenting effective arguments to establish damages, all of which may involve expert accident reconstruction witnesses. In these instances, it is smart to review your case with an experienced Portland Bus Accident Attorney. Initial case evaluations are free and can assist you in determining the merits of your case and potential settlement strategies.