I Was Involved in a Bus Accident. Can I File Suit if I am Still Treating for My Injuries?
The short answer is yes. Tennessee law does not require you to be fully recovered from your bus accident before you can seek compensation. In fact, in serious injury cases, you almost certainly will not be fully recovered. And in the worst cases, you may never be fully recovered from the bus accident. But, Tennessee law does not necessarily leave you short-changed. You can recover money for your future medical expenses and losses, but you must present evidence of those anticipated losses. For instance, if you will permanently need a wheelchair following a bus accident, you will need to present evidence of not only how often the wheelchair will need to be replaced but also the future cost of doing so. Likewise, you may need to put into evidence that you will require a wheelchair accessible van. In some complex cases, our award-winning attorneys may decide it it is necessary to hire an expert known as a life care planner to help fully itemize and explain your future medical expenses and losses. A life care planner will work closely with your doctors to make sure all your future medical needs are documented and the costs are accurately presented.
There are two more points related to this issue. First, at the Law Offices of John Day, we advance all case expenses including for things like life care planners. This means you do not have to pay any money from your own pocket to pursue your case. We handle all bus accident cases on a contingency basis, which means we only get paid if we recover money for you. If we win, we are also reimbursed for the case expenses we advanced. But unlike a lot of injury lawyers, we do not charge any interest on those case expenses. In the event your case is unsuccessful, we do not charge you for the case expenses so you owe us nothing.
Second, in Tennessee, the statute of limitations, which is an absolute deadline for pursuing your case, is generally one year. Although there are some exceptions (you can read about them here), you should assume you must file your lawsuit within one year from the date of injury. At the Law Offices of John Day, we need time to investigate your bus accident to make sure we can identify all culpable parties. We may need to visit the scene of the accident and interview witnesses. We need to gather your medical records and expenses as part of our evaluation of the value of your case. Ideally, we would like to have time to try to obtain a favorable settlement before filing suit and, in the event settlement is not successful, we need time to prepare the complaint. A complaint is the legal document that starts your lawsuit and satisfies the statute of limitations. So, please do not delay. For more information about how to hire a personal injury attorney, click here.
If you have been involved in a bus accident, contact us online or call us anytime of day at the office location most convenient to you. Our office numbers are listed below:
Nashville: (615) 669-3993
Murfreesboro: (615) 867-9900
Brentwood: (615) 742-4880
All our offices have convenient and free parking so you never have to search for street parking or pay $16.00 to park for an hour. And, of course, if your injuries prevent you from coming to our office, we will gladly come to your home or the hospital. We will sit down with you and thoroughly explain your rights and the legal process.
Other Bus Accident Information:
- Causes of Bus Accidents
- Tour and Charter Bus Accidents
- School Bus Accidents
- Municipal Bus Accidents
- Prison Bus Accidents
- Church Bus and Church Van Accidents
- Medical Transport Accidents
- Hotel and Airport Shuttle Bus Accidents
- Investigation of Bus Accidents
- Bus Crash Statistics
- Spoliation of Evidence in Bus Accident Cases
- Damages Recoverable from a Bus Accident
- Can I file suit if the negligent driver died in the accident?