Holiday Bus Tours and Liability

By Grant Law Office on December 1, 2017

If you are visiting an unfamiliar location over the holidays, taking an organized bus tour is a good way to see local spots of interest and learn about them.

There are many bus tours available to locations throughout Georgia, including Atlanta, Savannah, and Stone Mountain. But, like any vehicle on the roadways, tour buses can be involved in serious accidents.

Just last fall, a tour bus in Gilmer County was involved in an accident with a tractor trailer. The result was one fatality and 43 injured. And who could forget the horrendous crash in Palm Springs, California, between a tour bus and a big rig? Thirteen people died and 31 were injured.

In a tour bus accident like this, who can be held liable for a passenger’s injuries? It turns out there are multiple parties that can be held liable if a passenger is hurt as the result of negligence:

• The driver of another vehicle. In the Gilmer County incident, the tractor trailer driver and the company they work for could be held liable.
• The party responsible for maintaining the roadway. For instance, if the state neglected to plow the snow from a stretch of public road or inadequately warned of construction.
• The bus company. Bus companies have a duty to maintain their vehicles and hire competent drivers.
• The tour company. The tour company has an obligation to hire a bus driver with a clean safety record.

Accidents on common carriers like tour buses can be particularly complicated. If you are injured on a tour bus, you’ll need an experienced injury attorney on your side. For more than 30 years, Atlanta’s Grant Law Office has been successfully representing Georgia injury victims. Call today for a free consultation, at (404) 995-3955.