A November 10 2014 collision between a passenger-car and a TTC bus near Etobicoke resulted in at least one instantaneous death and critical injuries to the car passengers. The bus passengers suffered minor injuries.

The catastrophic accident happened at an intersection early on a Sunday morning. The bus which spun out of control, crashed into a nearby parking lot, flew over parking curbs, damaged a traffic signal and fire hydrant before finally smashing into a commercial building. Several bystanders and nearby building occupants narrowly missed being hit. The car was severely damaged and at the time of filing the report, traffic authorities were still trying to work out what caused the crash and whether either of the vehicles ran a red light at the intersection. Investigations were also focused on whether the lights were operating properly and car-crash specialists were trying to arrive at other possible reasons for the crash.

If you or a loved one has been involved in such devastating accidents, the first priority would obviously be to get immediate medical help. After the police have completed their formalities, insurance companies must be informed and the accident victim/relatives should contact a personal injury attorney without delay.

Accidents have their genesis in someone’s fault or negligence. This has to be clearly established and the injured are entitled to compensation from those responsible for the accident. Statutory benefits are available to all victims of motor-vehicle accidents, but the compensation may not cover all the present and future expenditure and losses that victims and their families have to bear. A free consultation injury lawyer can provide a swift and comprehensive evaluation of the merits of the case and begin the legal process immediately. This is important because there are stringent time-frames within which to file compensation claims.

Accidents Involving Public Transportation

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) enjoys the reputation of being a safe and well-maintained system, with world-class safety standards and commuter-centric policies. However, accidents can and do happen due to negligence or omission, disregard of safety standards or commission of mistakes, errors of judgment, etc.

All catastrophic motor-vehicle collisions are complex events and it is extremely difficult to establish the reasons without extensive and intensive research conducted by specialists and professionals. When public transportation vehicles are involved, the case becomes even more challenging to unravel as it’s not easy to clearly fix the chain of responsibility.

Some of the complications could be:

Different degrees and types of injury: When a large public transportation vehicle collides with a passenger car, passengers in the larger vehicle suffer less serious injuries, while the smaller vehicle’s passengers can be critically injured or even die. Soft tissue injuries, whiplash, fractures, temperomandibular disorders, aggravated spondylosis, impact injuries, bruises, cuts and lacerations could affect bus passengers, while traumatic brain/spine injury, thoracic injury, internal organ damage, amputation, loss of vision, burns, uncontrollable bleeding etc could cause severe injury in car passengers, pedestrians or bicyclists. Our serious injury lawyers also ensure that victims get immediate and top-quality medical assistance.

Identifying the causes and Fixing liability: This can prove very difficult, as there may be multiple agencies involved. If the traffic lights were malfunctioning, the road was poorly maintained, the brakes failed, the driver/s were distracted or impaired, buses or trucks were over-loaded etc. it could be a long-drawn out process to fix the fault accurately. Many individuals or groups may have a shared responsibility and the chain could go right up to the vehicle manufacturers. Our car accident lawyers can consult traffic and transportation experts to apportion the blame correctly.

Complicated regulations and laws: Laws for public transportation, commercial and privately owned vehicles are governed by different federal and provincial laws. Additionally, there are several other regulations like insurance rules, safety standards, maintenance regulations, inter-provincial laws and municipal laws that come into play in such serious collisions.

How We Can Assist

Our experienced personal injury lawyers can ensure that victims of accidents involving public transportation receive the benefit of our experience and expertise in this area of personal injury law.

We can ensure that compensation claims and paperwork are filed in a timely fashion, with emphasis on the right jurisdiction and backed by robust evidence and a clear establishment of fault. Dealing with government/insurance agencies can be frustrating and time-consuming and accident victims may suffer great financial burdens, disability, pain and suffering, rehabilitation and therapy costs and life-long need for care. We work on a contingency fee basis and can ensure that accident victims and their family members are not deprived in any way while awaiting final settlement of their claims.

If you, your family or a friend has been injured in an accident, please feel free to speak to one of our injury lawyers for a free consultation about how we are able to assist in making a personal injury claim. We consult in all cities across Ontario with a no win no fee guarantee. Our personal injury lawyers have helped victims secure millions of dollars in personal injury cases. Call us Toll Free On our 24/7 Injury Hotline: 1 – 844 495 7333 or Text a Personal Injury ‎Lawyer 24/7 and get instant help.TM (416 931 5015)