Bus Accident Attorneys in San Francisco

over three decades of legal experience

Over $100M Recovered for our clients

Extensive Jury Trial Experience

Bus Accident Injury Lawyers: Tens of Millions of Dollars Recovered for Our Clients

At Delfino, Green & Green, we’re not afraid to take on big companies or government entities in pursuit of justice. No matter who the at-fault party is in your case, we’ll do everything we can to secure the compensation you deserve. Give us a call at (415) 442-4646 to schedule your free consultation.

City buses offer an easy, affordable way for thousands of people to get around San Francisco every day. But make no mistake—these vehicles aren’t immune to accidents. City-funded transportation can be involved in and cause wrecks just as easily as other vehicles. However, determining the at-fault party may be more complex. Bus accidents have a greater capacity for catastrophic damage than regular vehicles, if only for their sheer size. When the collide with pedestrians, cars, motorcycles and even trucks, there is a serious potential for severe injuries and death. If you were injured in a bus accident, you may be facing huge medical bills, lost wages and other damages; you may be wondering how you’ll ever recover. Don’t give up—you may be able to recoup your losses through a bus accident lawsuit. Keep reading to find out if you’re eligible to file a claim.

You Deserve Compensation

No matter what type of vehicle you were in at the time of your accident, you deserve compensation if the wreck was caused by someone’s negligence. As some of the Bay Area’s most trusted bus accident attorneys, we may be able to help. Contact us today.

What Is Considered a Bus?

It may surprise you to learn that a variety of vehicles qualify as buses. Legally speaking, a bus is a self-propelled vehicle (in contrast to the Muni) used by public entities to provide designated public transportation. That means that in San Francisco, the following vehicles technically count as buses:

Trolleys
Airport shuttles
Interstate carriers
Tour buses
School buses
City buses

If you suffered injuries in an accident involving any of these vehicles, you may be eligible to file a bus accident claim. An experienced personal injury lawyer can review your case and help you determine the at-fault party.

Why Do Bus Accidents Happen?

You may think that because buses exist as a public service that they’re immune to many of the risks associated with personal vehicles, but that’s not true. Buses are involved in many of the same accidents as cars, but they have the potential to cause more damage. Here are some of the most common reasons for bus accidents in San Francisco:

Distracted driving. Even professional drivers can succumb to distraction, but not all distractions imply negligence. For example, a bus driver who gets distracted by a fight breaking out in the bus and crashes as a result is not being reckless in the same way as the driver who crashes while checking their text messages.
Urban location. Like commercial trucks, buses may struggle to make turns in tight, heavily-populated urban areas.
Hazardous road conditions. Sometimes improperly maintained roads can cause bus drivers to wreck due to no fault of their own. Messy road construction zones can also contribute to bus accidents.
Improper maintenance. Public entities have a duty to properly maintain the buses they own, and when city employees neglect to do so, they may be held liable in the event of an accident.
Defective parts. If a bus accident is caused by a defective part, the part manufacturer or seller may be the at-fault party.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of the things that can cause bus accidents. Typically, buses are susceptible to the same factors that other vehicles are, and many types of wrecks can precipitate a lawsuit

Recoverable Compensation

Typically, injury victims can file a bus accident lawsuit whenever they suffer serious injuries as a result of someone’s negligence. Injury victims don’t have to be passengers in the bus to file a claim; they may be pedestrians or passengers and drivers in other vehicles as well. Although individuals can file on their own, it’s generally helpful to partner with a San Francisco bus accident lawyer. After you and your lawyer determine the at-fault party, the next step will be to calculate damages. Most people don’t realize that settlement figures can include more than just economic losses; they can include intangible ones as well. Here are some of the damages you may be able to receive compensation for:

Property damage
Medical expenses
Lost wages
Lost earning potential
Pain and suffering
Loss of enjoyment of life
Life-care expenses
Disability or disfigurement

In the event that you lose a loved one in a bus accident, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim. Many of the same damages listed above will apply to settlement calculations.

Top San Francisco Bus Accident Attorneys

People who use public transportation deserve safe transit. When they’re injured in a bus accident caused by someone’s negligence, they deserve compensation. However, obtaining compensation—especially from government entities, companies and insurance providers—is a daunting task unless you have extensive legal knowledge. Here’s the good news: Injury victims and their families don’t have to pursue justice on their own. When you partner with a top San Francisco bus accident attorney, they will investigate your case and identify the best legal strategy for your situation. By alleviating the lion’s share of legal stress, you can focus on what matters the most—your recovery. Concerned you can’t afford a personal injury attorney? Don’t stress. The legal professionals at Delfino, Green & Green have you covered. We work on a contingency fee basis, so we don’t get paid until you do. That means you can work with some of the best lawyers in the Bay Area without paying a dime upfront

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Ready to get started? Contact us online or give us a call at (415) 442-4646 to schedule your free consultation.

Verdicts & Settlements

We've recovered millions for our clients

$10,400,000

Construction Death

The husband and father of 4 young children was working at a construction site when he died because of another contractor's negligence. After more than two years of hard fought litigation, our team of experts was able to win a tremendous victory on behalf of our clients and ensure that all of their financial needs will be met. We could not bring back the husband/father for this family, but we were able to protect them from the financial devastation that can and often does result where the primary source of income for the family is taken away. We then worked with our team of financial planners to make sure that this family will always have financial security.

$10,000,000

Bad Faith Insurance Claim

Insurance Coverage/Bad Faith Bad Faith – Pollution Coverage Prior to forming his own firm, Mr. Green worked at one of the largest and most prestigious firms in the U.S. He was the primary attorney on an environmental insurance case that went to trial in San Francisco. After a several week trial, Mr. Green came away with a trial verdict against the insurers with a value of over $10,000,000 in available insurance coverage.

$5,750,000

Traumatic Brain Injury

A 16 year old developmentally disabled kid was hit by a bus while in a crosswalk. He suffered a concussion which turned into post concussive syndrome, where the symptoms of the concussion don't heal completely. This is also known as a mild Traumatic Brain Injury ("mTBI"). Our firm was hired as trial counsel 6 months before trial because of our expertise in TBIs as well as cutting edge trial techniques. When we first associated into the case, there was a very minimal settlement offer and it did not appear that the Defense was taking the case seriously. Our team of attorneys, experts and staff immediately immersed ourselves in the case as we prepared to demonstrate the catastrophic consequences of this incident. Shortly before trial, the Defense could see that we had put all the pieces together to prove liability and that full justice for our young client required damages in the many millions of dollars. The matter settled for $5,750,000.

$2,400,000

Disability Claim

Disability – Neurological Issues Our client became disabled from neurological issues. Our attorneys were able to work with the client and his physicians to quickly assemble all of the documentation necessary to support out client’s claim of total disability. The insurer agreed that our client was totally disabled and paid his claim.

$2,000,000

Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury to Child A three year old child was being carried across the street when she was struck by an oncoming car. The child suffered a serious traumatic brain injury when she hit the ground. Her injuries were so serious she had to be hospitalized for several months. Our firm negotiated a settlement of $2,000,000 by forcing the payment of all of the available insurance from the driver’s automobile insurer ($1,250,000), the entire amount of the homeowners insurance limits available ($500,000), and all of the amounts that the person carrying the little girl was able to recover from the negligent driver ($250,000). We then arranged for another firm to prepare and fund a large Special Needs Trust for the health and welfare of the injured child.

$1,800,000

Heart Condition Disability

Our client became disabled by a heart attack. The insurer refused to pay, claiming that our client was still able to perform his occupation. We met with all of our client’s doctors, obtained reports confirming the client’s inability to perform his prior occupation, and ultimately convinced the insurance company to pay the claim in full.

$1,700,000

Builder’s Risk/Collapse

A contractor suffered a severe collapse at one of his sites. The claim was submitted to the insurer and denied. Mr. Green reviewed all of the facts, researched the law, and brought together the necessary experts to prove that the Contractor’s Builders Risk insurer was responsible for a substantial portion of the loss. He also proved that a subcontractor was negligent and the subcontractor’s insurer also paid a substantial settlement. In total, Mr. Green was able to obtain more than $1,700,000 in compensation for his client.

$1,000,000

Heart Condition Disability

Our client had worked for the government for many years when she began suffering from a serious heart condition. All of her doctors told her that she could no longer work and if she continued to do so, she would be risking further injury to her heart or even death. Based on thi

$1,000,000

Traumatic Brain Injury

Our client suffered a mild Traumatic Brain Injury when heavy object struck her in the head. The responsible party denied all fault and insisted until the very end that our client had not suffered a brain injury and offered nothing to settle the case. Our firm assembled a team of world renowned expert‘s to demonstrate that our client had suffered a mild Traumatic brain injury. The case settled shortly before trial.

$985,000

Traumatic Hand Injury

Our client was working at a manufacturing plant. While operating a piece of machinery, his glove became caught in the machinery and part of his hand was severely injured. Ordinarily, this type of injury would be restricted to remedies available through Worker’s Compensation. However, through the knowledge, ingenuity, and creativity of our team of attorneys, we were also able to obtain a very substantial civil settlement for our client in addition to the workers comp settlement of his case.

$975,000

Aviation Death Settlement

A husband and father of two small children was killed in an aviation accident involving a small aircraft. Our firm represented the widow and two children against the pilot of the aircraft. By hiring experts in aviation (to prove negligence) and economists (to prove damages), and utilizing William Green’s expertise as an instrument-rated pilot, we were able to make a very powerful case and obtain a very favorable settlement that allowed the family to survive financially.

$700,000

Forklift Accident

A construction supervisor went to pick up some materials for a construction job. A worker at the yard neglected to set the parking brake on a piece of heavy equipment a few yards away. While the construction supervisor had his back turned, the machine rolled into him, pinning him against the side of his pick-up truck. He suffered several broken ribs, but that was the least of his injuries. Within several weeks of the accident, he had partially lost his sight. By working with medical experts, our firm was able to directly connect the sight loss to the injuries caused by the machine that rolled into our client. The case settled at Mediation without any need for a trial.

Words of Praise from Our Clients

“I had the pleasure of working with Sharon Delfino on my workmens comp case. She definitely had my best interest at hand. She was able to find me a great doctor and help me resolve my case. The staff there are always polite and friendly, never had an issue. It was a pleasure working with Delfino Green & Green !”

- Tabitha W

“I’ve known the firm’s founder, Bill Green, for many years and I can say that he is one of the best attorneys I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He and his associates at Delfino Green & Green are hard-working, highly responsive, and very professional, and they get the job done, without excuses. Bill is a great communicator, both with clients, and in Court, and invests time and money to include visual storytelling in his trials and mediations. You won’t find an attorney who cares more about you, and getting you an outstanding result for your case. Bill is one of the “good guys” in the legal profession…a great person to have on your side when dealing with the craziness of litigation.”

- Tim M

“A few years ago, I referred a friend of mine to the attorneys at Delfino Green & Green. He was extremely happy with the job they did on his case. He was severely injured when a car hit him when he was crossing a street and this event had the potential to ruin him in a number of ways – financially, physically, emotionally, etc. We kept in close contact during the lawsuit and he told me how great his lawyer and his assistant were throughout the process. Caring, compassionate and very knowledgeable. My friend ended up with a great result – fair financial compensation and great treatment for his injuries. Little did I know when I referred my friend that a few years later, I would need a lawyer for injuries I suffered, but I did. Based on my friend’s experience, I knew that Delfino Green & Green would be the right attorneys for me. So I hired Bill Green and his team to help and they jumped right into action. Now I can saw that I too have firsthand knowledge of just how great these guys are. They knew the law, they knew just how to handle my particular case, and they helped me get my life back after the horrible events that lead to my injury. I can’t imagine that you could do any better than hiring these folks. I’m so grateful for all they did for both me and my friend.”

- Evelyn A

“The work Delfino Green & Green did on my case was beyond excellent. The final result was superb, but I also truly appreciated how Mr. Green and the team kept me up-to-date at every stage of the case. I was able to reach someone whenever I needed something or had something important to report and the firm always let me know what was going on in my case. That was very important to me because I hadn’t found that to be true with other attorneys. In short, really top flight work, great people and results that met all of my expectations above and beyond.”

- Byron H

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