Is it possible to claim compensation for a pedestrian injured by a bus in an accident on a zebra crossing? The driver didn’t see me and knocked me over breaking both my legs.
Although you sustained serious injuries while crossing the road at a zebra crossing, in order to claim compensation for a pedestrian injured by a bus in an accident it must be possible to prove that the accident was primarily the fault of the bus driver.
It the bus was travelling too fast for the weather conditions, if the speed limit was being exceeded or if the driver was not paying sufficient attention or lost concentration, it is probable that compensation for a pedestrian injured by a bus in an accident can be claimed. If you were already crossing the road when the accident happened, liability for the accident is likely to lie with the driver of the bus. A pedestrian on a zebra crossing has right of way and the bus driver is likely to be held liable for the accident for failing to exercise sufficient caution when approaching the zebra crossing.
However, without knowing the exact circumstances of how you were hit by a bus on a zebra crossing it is not possible to confirm that you will be entitled to claim for an injury to a pedestrian in a bus accident. It is possible that the driver could not have taken any action under the circumstances to avoid the accident. If you had just stepped onto the zebra crossing without looking for approaching traffic, the bus driver may not have had time to react and take action to avoid knocking you over. If the accident was unavoidable under the circumstances, it would be unlikely that you would be able to successfully claim compensation for being hit by a bus on a zebra crossing.
It is not uncommon for drivers to reject liability for an accident on the grounds that they did not see a pedestrian crossing the road. If liability for the accident is rejected, your claim for an injury to a pedestrian in a bus accident would need to go to court to be decided; although a judge would be unlikely to rule the case in favour of the bus driver. Injuries to pedestrians on zebra crossings are usually ruled in favour of the plaintiff, although you may have to share some of the blame for the accident. This would not mean that you would be unable to recover compensation for your injuries, only that the amount of damages awarded may be reduced to take any ‘contributory negligence’ on your part into account.
To have your right to claim compensation confirmed, and to find out the level of damages which can be recovered, you should speak with a personal injury solicitor about the accident. You should also allow a solicitor to prepare your case and pursue bus accident injury compensation on your behalf. All the legal processes will be completed for you, and your solicitor will attempt to have your claim settled as quickly as possible. If you are suffering financially as a result of the accident, a solicitor may be able to petition the courts to have an advance payment of compensation awarded to you to cover your medical expenses before the case is resolved.