Many New Yorkers enjoy a car-free lifestyle with convenient transportation options that make it easier to commute and get around the city without worrying about impossible parking and never-ending traffic. Taxicabs and buses may be involved in fewer traffic accidents than cars, but when they do happen, passengers and even pedestrians can be left with life-threatening injuries. Accidents involving manhole covers also happen which can lead to devastating consequences for which the city may be at fault.
Have you been involved in a taxi or bus accident in New York as a passenger, pedestrian, or motorist? Because these accidents involve complex rules regarding negligence and multiple parties that may share blame, it’s important to consult with a personal injury lawyer. The experienced New York trial lawyers at Goidel & Siegel Injury Lawyers are ready to help you after your accident.
Goidel & Siegel Injury Lawyers handles all types of cases involving buses and taxicabs in New York:
If you have been involved in an accident as a passenger of a taxicab or bus, contact our law office for the legal representation you deserve.
Goidel & Siegel tried the case of a 92-year-old woman who suffered a fractured hip when thrown to the ground by a closing bus door before a Manhattan jury. After filing a notice of appeal, the defendant agreed to settle the case.
Check out other accident injury settlements on our Case Results page.
Like car accidents, bus and taxi accidents in New York City are usually due to negligence or human error. Sometimes the taxicab or bus driver is at fault, but blame may also lie with their employer, another motorist, a government agency, or even a manufacturer of faulty parts. Common causes of accidents involving common carriers include:
Goidel & Siegel will conduct a thorough investigation into your accident to determine how it happened and who is ultimately to blame.
Taxicabs and buses are common carriers. That means they are entities that transport people for hire with services available to the general public, unlike private services which may enter into contracts with each customer.
Until the end of the 1990s, New York law held common carriers to a heightened duty of care to passengers. However, common carriers are now held to a standard duty of care. This means common carriers like taxicabs and buses have a duty to take reasonable steps to prevent harm to passengers and others on the road and do or not do what a reasonable person would. Proving a case against a common carrier now requires proving the same level of negligence as most other personal injury cases.
There are still several unique factors to consider in an accident involving a bus or taxi. These accidents may involve many parties who may share liability, not just the driver. For instance, if a taxi driver causes an accident, the taxicab company may be liable. The same is true for a negligent bus driver and their employer. This may give you additional avenues to seek compensation as well as commercial insurance policies with higher limits. However, multiple parties potentially sharing liability also makes your case more complex.
If you have a claim against a government entity, you have a much shorter deadline to file a claim as well as specific procedures that must be followed. A Notice of Claim after an MTA bus accident, for instance, must be filed within 90 days. Your personal injury case must then be filed within just one year.
After a serious accident, you deserve an experienced personal injury lawyer who will tirelessly protect your rights and fight for the compensation you deserve. Goidel & Siegel Injury Lawyers has represented accident victims for more than 30 years. Our law firm is taken seriously by insurance companies thanks to our extensive courtroom experience which gives us an edge during negotiations.
Contact our law office for a free case review with our multilingual New York injury lawyers. We can meet with you in our office, at a location of your convenience, or during a virtual consultation to discuss how we can help you. Click here to submit a contact form or call us directly at 212-404-6783.
56 W. 45th Street 3rd Floor New York, NY 10036
