How you respond to injuries involving public transportation like buses and trains could directly affect your access to compensation after an accident in the Hudson Valley, making your next steps very important.
Injuries involving public transportation should be reported to the police immediately. Victims should get medical care for their injuries to determine if they are serious and warrant litigation. You might use any number of bus lines or routes to travel throughout the Hudson Valley, and our lawyers can determine which county’s public transit system would be liable. This must happen soon after your accident, as you only have 90 days to send notice of your lawsuit and 1 year and 90 days to file it.
For a free case evaluation from our personal injury lawyers in the Hudson Valley, call Basch, Keegan & Spada at (845) 303-2748.
What Should You Do When Injured by Public Transportation in the Hudson Valley?
If you are involved in an accident with a public transit vehicle, such as a bus, prioritize your safety and report the incident.
Get to Safety
If you are injured while riding public transportation in the Hudson Valley, your immediate concern should be getting to safety. Broken glass, vehicle parts, and even other victims could worsen any injuries you sustained during the crash. If you can, leave the bus and get to a safe location away from the road.
Call the Police
Victims should always call the police after being injured on public transportation of any kind. Bus and train accidents can be especially catastrophic and end in life-altering or even fatal injuries that the police should document. Do not wait for anyone else to call 911, and call the police yourself as soon as you can.
If your injuries permit, remain at the scene until the police arrive so you can answer questions officers have about the accident, its cause, and your injuries.
Get Medical Attention
Get medical attention anytime you sustain an injury due to negligence, including while riding public transportation. You may need attention from EMTs that arrive on the scene, as well as physicians and specialists at a nearby hospital.
When you get medical attention, it helps us establish when you sustained your injuries, how severe your injuries were immediately after the accident, and what medical treatment you required.
Public Transportation in the Hudson Valley
Common accidents involving public transportation in the Hudson Valley are bus accidents, though commuters taking the Metro-North Hudson Line into Manhattan might also suffer injuries that are worth compensation.
Ulster County Area Transit
Ulster County Area Transit provides local bus service throughout Ulster County and connections to Dutchess and Orange Counties in the Hudson Valley.
Rockland County Bus Services
Transport of Rockland has 10 fixed routes connecting Rockland and Westchester Counties and features regional connections to New Jersey transit trains as well as the Westchester Bee-Line.
Dutchess County Public Transit
Most Dutchess County Public Transit bus routes run through the central hub in Poughkeepsie and then spread out into the rest of the Hudson Valley.
Transit Orange
Transit Orange offers local routes throughout Orange County, including Middletown and Newburgh, as well as commuter routes to New York City and the lower parts of the Hudson Valley.
Bee-Line
The Bee-Line is the public bus system that serves Westchester, New York. The Bee-Line has 60 routes, enabling easier travel throughout the Hudson Valley and even into New York City.
Metro-North Hudson Line
The Metro-North Hudson Line is a public train running from Manhattan to Poughkeepsie and is especially popular among people commuting to and from the city to work every day.
What Do You Need to Know About Being Injured by Public Transportation in the Hudson Valley?
Our lawyers can tell you everything you need to know about getting compensation for injuries involving public transportation so that you recover the damages you deserve.
Notice of Claim Requirement
One of the most important things victims should know after being injured while riding public transportation is the additional notice of claim requirement for cases involving government agencies. In New York, you must inform the government agency of your intention to file a lawsuit within the first 90 days after the accident.
Our bus accident lawyers can help you write and send a notice of your upcoming claim within the allotted timeframe so that you don’t jeopardize your case by missing it.
Shorter Statute of Limitations
Victims also need to be aware of the shorter filing deadline for personal injury claims involving public transportation and other government agencies. Instead of having 3 years to file your lawsuit like most personal injury victims in New York, you may only have 1 year and 90 days from the date of your injury to sue for an accident involving public transportation.
No Cap on Damages
Many states limit how much victims can recover from government agencies for public transportation injuries, but New York does not. The no cap on damages enables you to seek full compensation for all of your financial and intangible losses, no matter how great.
No-Fault Insurance Implications
New York’s no-fault insurance rules for car accidents also apply to bus accidents, so you may have to sustain a serious injury to qualify for a lawsuit. Fatal injuries, dismemberment, significantly disfiguring injuries, fractures, and miscarriages are all considered serious injuries, including others. You can also sue despite New York’s no-fault rules if you incur a basic economic loss of $50,000 or more from an accident.
No-fault insurance rules do not apply to train accidents, so you may be able to sue for any injury due to negligence sustained on the Metro-North Hudson Line.
Get Help for Your Injuries in the Hudson Valley Today
For a free case review from Basch, Keegan & Spada’s Poughkeepsie, NY bus accident lawyers, call us now at (845) 303-2748.