Compensation for a Bus Accident
Have you been in a bus accident?
Do you need to file a compensation claim for a bus accident in Barcelona? If you have been involved in a traffic accident as a passenger on public transport, for example a TMB bus in the city of Barcelona, you should know that you have the right to claim compensation from the insurance company of the person responsible for the accident, that is, the insurer of the bus driver or the driver of the other vehicle that collided with the bus.
Therefore, it is highly recommended that you file a proper claim for the compensation you are entitled to for the injuries suffered in a public transport accident such as a bus accident. To do this, you should seek advice from experts like Masramon Abogados, with over 20 years of experience in the sector specializing in claiming compensation for bus accidents.
The Barcelona City Council or the City Council to which the bus causing the accident belongs, also has insurance very similar to that of the other vehicles and compensation can be claimed without any problem for the injuries and consequences produced.
In the event that the vehicle causing the accident flees the scene for any reason, you may be able to claim compensation from the insurance compensation consortium, since when a bus accident occurs, many times the vehicles involved, such as a motorcycle, a bicycle, a car, etc., may flee and try to shirk their responsibilities.
What should you do if you are in a bus accident?
This is very important since it is the way you will have to prove that you boarded the bus and were a passenger on it at the time of the accident.
It is extremely important that if you have been injured in an accident while traveling as a bus passenger, even if only slightly, you do not leave the scene. It is crucial that paramedics monitor you and, if you have an injury, document it with a medical report. Therefore, it is essential to request an ambulance to assess your condition immediately.
Over the years, we have found that a police report is essential to claim compensation for a bus accident. Often, bus drivers are reluctant to file a report, even when legally obligated to do so. Therefore, we suggest you call the police to file the necessary report, which will document the causes of the accident. You will need to inform the driver that you have called the police and that they should wait until they arrive.
If you were on the bus, the drivers of the vehicles involved are required to file a report detailing the incident. However, bus drivers often fail to do so, so you will need to gather as much information about the vehicle as possible (license plate number, vehicle color, photographs, etc.). If you are injured and the police arrive, there won't be a problem because they will include the bus details in their report. But if your injuries are minor, you will be responsible for collecting all the necessary information.
If you have been hit by a bus, whether you are a pedestrian or in another vehicle, you should know that on many occasions, when bus drivers consider the damage to the other vehicle or pedestrian to be minor, they may not stop. Therefore, you should try to obtain, by all possible means, the license plate number and the time the accident occurred in order to file the appropriate complaint or lawsuit, depending on the circumstances.
How to obtain double compensation for a bus accident?
If you are involved in a serious accident while traveling as a bus passenger and the bus collides with another vehicle on a highway or intercity route, you are entitled to compensation under both the mandatory passenger insurance (SOV) and the mandatory motor vehicle insurance (SOA) if negligence on the part of the service provider is proven. It is important to note that both types of compensation are compatible, and you will be entitled to receive both.
However, when determining compensation for bus accidents, insurance companies are aware that you may be entitled to double compensation if negligence is involved. They often fail to offer both types of compensation, instead offering only the mandatory passenger insurance (SOV) compensation. This takes advantage of the lack of awareness among those affected by the accident. Therefore, the best way to obtain compensation for a bus accident is to seek proper advice from experienced professionals like Masramon Abogados, which boasts over two decades of experience in the sector and can help you obtain, if applicable, both compensation from the mandatory passenger insurance and compensation for the damages and losses you suffered in the bus accident.
Frequently Asked Questions about Compensation for Bus Accidents
Every time you buy a bus ticket, it becomes your proof of insurance coverage under the mandatory passenger insurance policy. This ticket serves as proof of your right to claim compensation from the corresponding insurance company for any accidents you may have suffered. Mandatory passenger insurance is regulated by Royal Decree 1575/1989, of December 22, which establishes all the provisions regarding the consequences of accidents, material damages covered in the event of an incident, and so on.
Consequently, we will have to refer to the referenced Royal Decree when an accident has occurred with a bus in public transport.
It is very important to keep the ticket that allows us to travel, that is, if for example we have a 10-trip card or a single-journey ticket, we must keep the card or ticket in order to be able to claim, it will be an important element when claiming compensation for the injuries and after-effects that the accident may have caused us.
When an accident on a bus is the fault of the other vehicle, the passenger will be entitled to compensation from that vehicle's Compulsory Automobile Insurance (SOA). However, if the accident is the fault of the bus driver, then the passenger will be entitled to compensation from the bus's auto insurance. In both cases, SOA insurance is mandatory. This insurance will be activated when the passenger is injured, so it is crucial to prove the responsibility of either the bus driver or the vehicle that caused the accident in order to file the appropriate claim.
Call 112 and immediately tell the driver to stop. This is very important. If the driver doesn't know that an injury has occurred, it will be more difficult to file a claim. Bus drivers are required to report accidents that occur on the bus.
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