Many people who have never been injured in an accident wonder a personal injury attorney is needed when dealing with insurance companies. After all, if a company is clearly in the wrong, it has to compensate the victim, right?
As a Virginia personal ijury attorney, I know that an at-fault company will spend more time and money fighting a legitimate claim than actually preventing an accident in the first place. In the case of a 2007 Greyhound bus crash in Texas (TX), the facts were all in the victims’ favor, but the bus company insisted nothing could have been done to prevent the wreck.
Here are the facts:
- The bus driver made 17 cell phone calls in the three hours before the accident, including one right before or during the accident.
- Distracted driving, such as talking on a phone, is a violation of Greyhound policy.
- Greyhound hired a negligent driver. He had three speeding tickets in the eight months before he was hired.
- While training, the bus driver was cited for making an improper lane change that caused a nearby car to run off the road.
- The driver did not put snow chains on the bus tires despite a company policy requiring use of the safety equipment.
Luckily, the victims — one of whom was on her way to see her grandson who had recently been diagnosed with leukemia; the other was a 20-year-old woman — had an experienced personal injury lawyer who was able to win compensation totaling $18.79 million verdict against Greyhound.
CT