Sending your child off to school can be nerve-wracking under any circumstances, especially if their transportation to school is on a bus operated by someone you have never met. Most of the time, school bus drivers act as responsibly behind the wheel, but as you may have unfortunately learned, not every driver is as careful with their young passengers as they should be. Sometimes, this can lead to traffic collisions with serious repercussions.
When your child has been injured in a school bus accident in Mankato, you may have grounds as their parent or guardian to file suit against anyone whose negligence caused your child to be harmed. With help from a seasoned bus accident attorney who understands what your family is going through and has years of experience fighting for people like you, you will have the most likely chance of obtaining a favorable result on your child’s claim.
Depending on where they live and what school they attend, students in Mankato who take the bus to school may receive bus services directly from the Mankato Area School District or from a private company that contracts with the School District to provide these services. Either way, negligence by a bus driver can impose civil liability for injuries caused by that negligence on the driver and the organization for which they work.
Notably, there may be some rules and restrictions specifically on school bus accident claims in Mankato that name the school district or any other government body as a defendant. For example, most people who intend to sue government bodies in Minnesota over traffic accidents of any kind must submit a Notice of Claim with the state Attorney General’s Office within 180 days of the accident, which is significantly sooner than the general six-year filing deadline for most personal injury lawsuits.
Another thing worth emphasizing about claims over public school bus crashes in Mankato is that state law caps the amount of money any government entity can be forced to pay out as damages for any type of accident caused by traditional negligence. Currently, the cap is set at $500,000 per claim, and a total of $1.5 million per occurrence for most claims of this nature. This means all persons injured in a crash involving a bus operated by the school district may have access to a total of $1.5 million to cover all damages caused by that incident (regardless of the number of injured persons).
Fortunately, there are no caps on bus injury claims against private individuals or companies, so it may be possible to recover the full value of damages stemming from this sort of incident, including long-term losses that may not fully manifest for years after the accident. Guidance from a compassionate local lawyer can be key to identifying and proactively demanding compensation for every form of harm a specific incident has caused or is likely to cause in the future.
Learning your child has been hurt in an accident caused by a negligent adult is always a traumatic experience. This experience can be infuriating o if that negligent adult was someone specifically tasked with keeping your child safe from harm, like a school bus driver. As much as possible, it is important to remain calm and act proactively in the wake of this sort of incident so you can protect your child’s best interests now and in the future.
You can seek help with legal action after a school bus accident in Mankato from seasoned lawyers with local pride who are not afraid to take cases to court, if necessary. When you need us, we are here to help. Call today to learn more.
