MARTA Bus Accident Attorneys in Atlanta

Legal Help for Bus Accident Injury Victims in Georgia

At Grant Law Office, we have seen a rise in the number of bus accidents occurring throughout Georgia. Passengers on buses and in other vehicles are sometimes injured in crashes through no fault of their own. Our Atlanta personal injury lawyers have been successfully representing injury victims for more than 30 years. We take pride in our recent case results, including $250,000 for a MARTA bus accident in which one of our clients was injured, requiring surgery.

Our husband-and-wife legal team has earned a reputation as dedicated litigators who relentlessly pursue fair compensation. You can rely on us to provide skilled and aggressive representation, and to treat every person we serve with the utmost dignity and respect. Call (404) 995-3955 to set up a free, confidential consultation with a skilled Atlanta bus accident attorney.

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MARTA Accident Statistics

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is the principal public transport system in the Atlanta metropolitan area, with 48 miles of rail track and 38 stations. Originally established as a bus system in 1971, MARTA now operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system. With a daily average of 432,900 passengers, MARTA is the eighth largest rapid transit system in the U.S.

Although public transportation is generally considered to be safer than driving in privately-owned vehicles, MARTA and other bus accidents do occur, and often at a high human cost. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported 281 fatalities and 22,000 people injured in bus crashes in the U.S. in 2014.

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Recent Bus Accidents in Atlanta

There have been numerous bus accidents lately in Georgia. Here are a few:

• In July 2019, a Cobb County Linc bus hit and killed a scooter rider on West Peachtree Street in Atlanta. The bus was turning right onto 15th Street when the accident occurred.
• In June 2019, a woman was fatally struck and killed by a MARTA bus on Cleveland Avenue in southwest Atlanta.
• In February 2019, multiple people were injured when a car swerved to avoid traffic and crashed into a MARTA bus.
• In June 2016, a motorcyclist was killed in East Point when his bike crashed head-on into a MARTA bus. The victim remained trapped under the bus for a period of time, as reported by Fox 5 News.
• In March 2016, one person was killed and two were injured when a driver, who swerved to avoid hitting a MARTA bus that had come to a stop, went off the road, hitting three people who were waiting at the bus stop.
• In February 2016, a 63-year old man was killed when his pickup truck collided with a MARTA bus at the intersection of Cascade Road and Spring Park. Four passengers on the bus also sustained minor injuries.
• In May 2015, a MARTA bus was hit by a train after the driver got stuck in traffic while attempting to make a left turn with the rear of the bus still on the tracks.

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Why Do Mass Transit Accidents Occur?

Today, most buses, trains, and public transportation vehicles are outfitted with advanced safety features, guidance systems, and other technology. Despite this, a number of mass transit accidents take place each year, usually due to operator negligence. There are other circumstances which can lead to a mass transit accident, including the following:

• Speeding
• Mechanical failure due to poor maintenance
• Overcrowding
• Improper scheduling
• Lack of seatbelts
• Inadequate lighting or luggage storage
• Lack of adjustment to inclement weather

An attorney should be contacted as soon as possible after a MARTA accident to get started on an investigation right away. Promptness matters because evidence tends to fade with time, or may be tampered with by agents working with the mass transit company.

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Who Is Responsible for a Bus Accident?

• The Driver - The first line of responsibility (and quite often the cause of the accident) is the driver of the bus. Bus drivers have a strict obligation to safely transport passengers to and from their arranged destinations. When a driver fails to uphold this duty in any number of ways, he can be held responsible for any injuries that result. Typical forms of negligence while driving include:
  • Talking or texting
  • Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • Being distracted by something or someone on the bus
  • Being fatigued, having worked more hours than allowed by federal and state law
  • Failing to operate the bus in a safe and orderly manner
• The Bus Company or Municipality Operating the Bus - Liability may be imposed as a result of:
  • Poor bus maintenance and basic mechanical upkeep
  • Failure to properly train bus operators and managers
  • Failure to maintain a safe working environment for bus station employees
  • Overbooking buses with an inordinate amount of passengers
  • Pushing drivers beyond the limits of safe driving regulations
• Additional Drivers - In some instances, a bus accident is the direct result of another driver's negligence on the road. Because of a bus's poor handling and odd center of gravity, any type of reckless driving around a bus under power can have a negative impact on the bus driver's ability to compensate. If you were a passenger in a vehicle, and that driver’s negligence or recklessness contributed to your injury, he or she may share some liability.
• The Bus Maintenance Company - In some cases, an independent company may be hired to do maintenance on a company’s buses. If their negligence contributed to the crash, they can be held liable.
• Municipality Charged with Maintaining Roadway - If a hazardous condition on a roadway (such as a pothole, ice, oil, etc.) contributed to the accident, the entity responsible for maintaining the road may be held liable.

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How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?

City buses, tour buses, party buses, shuttle buses, school buses, and intercity buses like Greyhound Lines are all considered "common carriers," meaning that they transport passengers on regular routes at set rates. The difference is that buses run by a municipality have a shorter statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death claims than privately-owned bus companies do.

In Georgia, the statute of limitations for filing a claim against a private company is two years from the date of the injury or death. However, if you plan to file such a suit against a municipality or MARTA, there are requirements to provide formal notice of a claim, sometimes within six months.

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How We Go to Work to Prove Liability in an Atlanta Bus Accident

To establish the validity of your injury or wrongful death claim and prove liability on the part of the transit company, your attorney may collect the following pieces of evidence in a thorough investigation and, if a trial is necessary, present them to the jury:

• Police reports
• Photographs
• Witness statements (e.g. passengers, employees with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority)
• Medical reports
• Testimony from accident reconstruction specialists and other relevant experts
• Weather conditions at the time of the accident
• Material that shows the company or vehicle operator did not follow certain safety regulations

If we are successful, you may be awarded coverage for current and future medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, loss of earning capacity, loss of intimacy and support, and more, depending on the facts of your case.

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Speak with an Atlanta Bus Accident Lawyer

MARTA and other bus accidents require a great deal of investigation by a variety of governmental agencies. Mass transit accidents don't occur often, but when they do, the damages can be quite extensive and affect multiple passengers. To avoid a large payout to victims in such cases, bus companies use their plentiful resources to reduce or deny settlements. All too often they are successful because victims give up and accept much less than they deserve. Don't let this happen to you or your loved one after a mass transit accident.

If you have been seriously injured or lost a loved one in MARTA bus accident, contact Grant Law Office as soon possible to schedule a free case consultation, with no obligation. Wayne Grant is a trial lawyer with more than three decades of experience handling serious personal injury and wrongful death matters. He has been named among Super Lawyers® for 12 years running. You can have complete confidence that Wayne and Kimberly Grant will provide professional, aggressive representation in your MARTA bus accident claim.

Grant Law Office can be reached at (404) 995-3955.

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Recent Bus Accident Verdicts and Settlements

• $250,000 - MARTA bus accident requiring surgery.

Click here for more verdicts and settlements.