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Seattle public transportation includes streetcars, monorails, buses, taxis, ferries, and other public transportation options.
Human error and negligence can cause public transportation accidents that result in injury or death. Under the law, “common carriers” are responsible for seeing that their passengers reach their destinations without coming to harm. If they fail in this duty, they can be held liable if the injury was caused by the carrier’s negligent act or omission.
FERRY ACCIDENTS
Ferry accidents often result when the boat loses power and crashes into the dock. This can cause passengers to fall onto the deck or be thrown overboard. An investigation is needed to determine if the operator was at fault or if the accident was caused by mechanical failure from defective equipment. At the personal injury law firm of Wattel & York, we have access to engineers who can investigate ferry accidents to determine if negligence was involved and by whom.
STREETCAR ACCIDENTS
Streetcars in Seattle can cause injuries when they hit cars, pedestrians, or bicycles, or when an obstacle causes a car to jump the track. Furthermore, ruts and uneven surfaces surrounding the tracks may pose a hazard to pedestrians and bicyclists. The liable party in a streetcar accident is usually the government entity responsible for maintaining the tracks, the streetcar driver, or the driver of a car or truck causing a collision.
TRAIN ACCIDENTS
Train accidents often result in catastrophic injuries and death because of the speed and weight of a train when it collides with a car, another train, a pedestrian, or a bicycle. Passengers can be injured in a collision or when a train brakes suddenly, causing them to fall.
TAXI ACCIDENTS
Taxi drivers often drive aggressively to make more money by taking the most fares possible during a shift. Aggressive driving is risky driving and causes injury accidents in and around Seattle. Cab drivers are often guilty of speeding, failing to yield, making unsafe lane changes, weaving in traffic, distracted driving, using cell phones and talking with dispatch, running stop signs and red lights, and driving while overtired or impaired.
Sometimes drivers and cab companies neglect maintenance in order to keep the cab on the road earning money, resulting in an unsafe vehicle. Many cabs lack basic safety equipment, such as seatbelts. When a taxi driver or cab company causes an accident because of unsafe driving or faulty maintenance or equipment, a passenger injured in the accident may recover compensation for accident-related losses.
MONORAIL ACCIDENTS
Monorail cars colliding in Seattle occasionally collide with each other or with station girders. These accidents are usually the result of poor design or human error, in either case involving negligence and entitling those injured to compensation.
BUS ACCIDENTS
Causes of bus accidents include driver negligence, equipment malfunctions, hazardous roads, weather conditions, and poor maintenance. Driver error is responsible for a majority of bus accidents—15 of every 19 crashes. A person who has suffered injuries while riding a bus is often able to recover compensation from the private or municipal owner of the bus, from the driver of another vehicle that was at fault when it collided with the bus, or from the government entity responsible for road maintenance when poor road conditions caused the accident.
GETTING HELP
The lawyers at Wattel & York in Seattle have years of experience helping victims of public transportation accidents win money to compensate for their losses. We are committed to protecting your rights, pursuing justice on your behalf, and getting you a recovery that will fully compensate all of your losses. Call for a free consultation.