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Overview of Liability For Tour Bus Accidents

Since Las Vegas is a popular tourist destination, it is not surprising that many people come to this city from all over the country using various means of transportation. Rather than take a flight or drive themselves, some people choose to come here via a tour bus, as doing so gives them a fun and relaxing travel experience.

While this is all wonderful when the trip is uneventful, accidents involving tour buses can and do occur. In addition to those which grab national headlines because of a high casualty count, other accidents that are less prominent, including things like sudden stops, still impact the lives of passengers and other motorists profoundly.

As this blog has discussed previously, the bus driver and his or her employer are together responsible for the safety of the passengers on a tour bus since a tour bus is a common carrier, that is, part of a business outfit which makes money taking people, or property for that matter, from one place to another.

Therefore, if a bus driver through his or her own negligence causes any type of bus accident which leaves one or more passengers injured, then the bus company may have to pay compensation to the injured passenger for the driver’s negligence. Moreover, as is the case with any other vehicle on the road, a bus company will also have to pay if the driver causes an accident with another vehicle on the road.

However, following mass transit accidents, injured passengers and other people who got hurt may be able to look to other businesses for compensation as well following mass transit accidents. For instance, the tour guide which contracted with the bus operation may be responsible financially if it did not properly vet the bus company before offering it a contract to conduct a tour.

Ultimately, an injured passenger may also have to turn to his or her own insurance company provided they purchased coverage that would be applicable.