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Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton

All We Do is Injury Law

Toll-Free: 1-800-752-0042
Phone: 1-757-460-7776

Practice Areas

Before you talk to another injury lawyer in Virginia, review this page and download a free consumer report.

All Serious Injuries : Mass Transit (Airline, Train, Bus)

You're probably here because you or a loved one were in an accident involving an airplane, jet, bus, or other mass transit vehicle. We are here to help. Below are some frequently asked questions with answers supplied by experienced injury attorneys in Virginia:

Is there a certain time frame to file a claim if I was hurt in an accident involving a bus, train, ship, or airplane?

What type of damages can I recover if I was seriously hurt by a common carrier vehicle like a bus or train?

What if I live in one city but was hurt while traveling to another city?

Mass transit accidents are unique since you may have to deal with big corporations, government officials and their insurance claims representatives. It  can be a huge hassle, especially when you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury and want to focus on your recovery, not haggling with claims adjusters. This is why you should contact an injury lawyer in Virginia to help sort out the legal details and pursue compensation on your behalf.

Mass transit accidents that we have handled, and/or are capable of handling, include:

• Airplane accidents, helicopter accidents, and other aircraft accidents. One of our attorneys is a licensed aircraft pilot so we have a unique advantage in these types of injury cases. You may be surprised to learn over 70 percent of airplane accidents are caused either by pilot error or mechanical failure, and according to the Helicopter Association International, there are an estimated 150 helicopter crashes a year in the United States.

• Boating accidents, ferry accidents, and water accidents. According to the US Coast Guard, there were 5,191 boating accidents in 2007, 3,673 injuries, and 685 deaths. Boating accidents can happen in oceans, bays, gulfs, rivers, lakes, and even ponds.

• Cruise ship accidents. Cruise ships are supposed to be a time of fun and relaxation, but cruise ship vacations sometimes end in injury. In the past, passengers have slipped on wet decks or fallen from upper decks, boats have caught fire or sank, and vacationers have been injured during off-boat excursions.

• Train/railroad and commuter rail accidents. There were 12,000 railroad/train-related accidents (including railroad crossing accidents) in 2008 alone and 726 fatalities, as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Statistics.  Train accidents, railroad derailments, and railroad crossing wrecks can affect passengers as well as those on the tracks, and train accidents happen on all types of trains, from commuter trains to subway trains to passenger trains to freight trains.  Our injury lawyers are nationally recognized in the field of railroad accident injury law.

• Bus accidents. From school bus accidents to city bus accidents to Greyhound bus accidents - these large vehicles can cause serious injury to dozens of passengers. Bus accidents can be caused by drive error or driver negligence, weather conditions, defective machinery, or lax bus maintenance. Many serious injuries or deaths involving buses happen to pedestrians,or children and adults getting on or off the vehicle. 




About the Editors: Shapiro, Lewis & Appleton is a Viriginia injury law firm whose attorneys focus on personal injury and accident law and have experience handling cases for victims of mass transit accidents such as airplane, train and bus crashes. In fact, our law firm published a free consumer safety guide on what to do if you are hurt in a plane wreck.

We have offices in Virginia Beach and Hampton, Virginia but we're ready to come to you anywhere in VA including Suffolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Norfolk, VA, if you've been seriously hurt by someone else's carelessness.

Rick Shapiro and James Lewis have been included among the Best Lawyers in America since 2008, and have been named Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Law since 2010, an honor fewer than 5 percent of lawyers receive.

Shapiro and Lewis have also been selected for inclusion in the National Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2009. In addition, ours was the first injury law firm in Virginia to join Primerus, a select group of highly ethical and respected law firms. Our VA mass transit injury law firm has the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbell, a national lawyer ranking organization, which means we have a reputation for preeminent legal skill.

While not every injury case meets our criteria, we offer free initial confidential injury case consultations. Call us toll free at (800) 752-0042. If you cannot get through due to high call volume, please leave a voicemail so we can respond directly to you.

 

Virginia Super LawyerBest Injury Lawyers in Virginia