Cumming MARTA Accident Lawyer

MARTA is responsible for transporting almost half a million people each day in the metropolitan Atlanta area. An overwhelming majority of these people reach their destinations safely because of the services that MARTA provides. However, accidents happen, and people are injured either riding MARTA or in accidents with their vehicles. When those accidents are MARTA’s fault, they will need to pay for your injuries. First, you need to hire an experienced lawyer who can tell your side of the story.

MARTA Is Responsible for the Safety of Hundreds of Thousands of Georgians

MARTA runs a number of transportation services, including:

• Trains – MARTA runs two major rail lines that cover 48 miles of track and provide more than 230,000 daily trips
• Buses – currently, there are 110 MARTA bus routes. Before the pandemic, these buses provided over four million passenger trips per month.
• Streetcars – MARTA operates a new streetcar service that makes a 2.7-mile loop around downtown and provides links to various train stations
• Van services for disabled passengers – MARTA provides almost 20,000 trips on demand each day for passengers with disabilities.

Staffing Shortages Affect MARTA’s Safety

Like every other employer these days, MARTA is struggling to remain fully staffed to provide the services that are a part of its mission. The system is losing experienced bus drivers and train operators, and safety is suffering as a result. MARTA has had to change bus schedules because of a driver shortage and is getting new drivers on the road as they can find them. Not only does this affect MARTA passengers, but it also raises the risk level for all drivers and pedestrians who are in the vicinity of a MARTA bus.

There have been a number of recent accidents involving MARTA vehicles that have caused fatalities or serious injuries. While MARTA was not necessarily at fault for all of these accidents, many families have filed claims against the agency for financial compensation. The way to learn fault is when you hire a lawyer to investigate the accident.

Who Can File a Claim Against MARTA

MARTA claims can be filed by people who have been injured:

• On the MARTA vehicle itself in a bus or train crash
• At MARTA stations or in their parking lots
• In vehicles when they have been in a collision with a MARTA bus or van
• As pedestrians when they have been struck by a MARTA vehicle

Other Possible Legal Claims Against MARTA

In addition to accidents involving MARTA vehicles, you can also sue the agency when you were injured in the following incidents:

• You were attacked at a MARTA station or on a train, and the agency did not provide adequate security.
• You slipped and fell at a MARTA station or on a train platform because the agency did not clear debris or properly treat surfaces in bad weather.
• You were injured because of a defective or malfunctioning escalator in a MARTA station.

MARTA Claims Are Different from Other Personal Injury Lawsuits

MARTA claims have different rules than other personal injury lawsuits that would require you to act more quickly than you otherwise would have. Normally, you would have two years to file a personal injury claim in Georgia, but MARTA is considered a public agency. While MARTA cannot claim governmental immunity from lawsuits, it does have certain advantages. Nonetheless, the same negligence test that is used in every personal injury also applies when you are taking legal action against MARTA.

The most important requirement in any MARTA lawsuit is that you must file your claim with MARTA within six months after the accident. If you miss this deadline, you will not be able to seek financial compensation at all because this is a hard deadline with very few exceptions (that you should not rely on).

Common Contributing Causes of MARTA Bus Accidents 

MARTA buses are a popular mode of transportation in many Georgia cities, but accidents involving these buses can be disastrous. 

Several factors can contribute to MARTA bus accidents, including the following:

Distractions

Bus drivers who are distracted by passengers, GPS devices, or cell phones are more likely to cause accidents. These distractions can lead to drivers not paying attention to the road, resulting in collisions.

Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drugs

Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol can impair a driver’s ability to react quickly and negatively affect their vision. Driving under the influence can cause bus drivers to swerve, make inappropriate lane changes, collide with other vehicles, or collide with objects near the road. Accidents involving DUIs can cause serious injuries to anyone riding the bus.

Driving Too Fast

MARTA bus drivers must obey the speed limit and drive at a speed appropriate for the road conditions. MARTA buses are large vehicles that can be prone to hydroplaning on wet roads. Driving too fast for the road conditions makes controlling a bus more challenging and can lead to accidents.

Collisions While Turning

Turning sharply can be challenging for MARTA buses due to their large size. Sometimes, the bus driver may swing too wide and collide with another vehicle on the road or interfere with traffic at an intersection.

Establishing Negligence in a MARTA Bus Accident Lawsuit

To seek damages after a MARTA bus accident, you must prove that the driver was negligent. Here are some ways to establish negligence in a MARTA bus accident lawsuit:

Show the Driver Breached the Standard of Care

To prove negligence, you must show that the bus driver breached the standard of care. Spaulding Injury Law can help you accomplish this by showing the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving inappropriately for road conditions, or not paying attention to the road.

Prove the Accident Resulted from the Driver’s Actions

You must also prove that the accident and any resulting injuries were caused by the driver’s actions. Our lawyers at Spaulding Injury Law can help you provide medical evidence of your injuries and how they were caused by the accident.

Demonstrate the Long-Term Impact of the Injuries

If your claim includes permanent injuries, we can send you to a doctor to show how the injuries will affect you for the rest of your life.

Seek Compensation for Damages

Accident victims can file a claim for damages such as medical expenses, lost income, changes to mental capacity, loss of support, loss of enjoyment of life, and pain and suffering.

Spaulding Injury Law’s experienced MARTA bus accident attorneys can help you put together a team of expert witnesses to prove liability and demonstrate the damages owed to you. We will be by your side throughout the claims process, helping you get as much compensation as possible for your damages.

Don’t wait any longer to file a claim for the damages you are rightfully entitled to. Spaulding Injury Law can help you get your life back on track after a MARTA bus accident.

You Need an Experienced Attorney When Dealing with MARTA

First, MARTA will consider your claim and decide whether to offer you payment for your injuries. Even though MARTA is a public agency, they usually act like any insurance company when it comes to paying or settling your claim because they are self-insured. Claims come out of their operating budget. MARTA sees many claims each year, and its employees take a very skeptical view, even when your claim has merit.

Then, MARTA will try to underpay your damages. MARTA must pay damages the same as any other defendant in a case would. These accident damages include:

• The cost of your medical bills
• Lost wages for the time that you miss from work because of your injury
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Wrongful death damages if your loved one died in the injury

You Need a Lawyer Who Can Be Tough with MARTA

MARTA is self-insured, and it pays its own damages. Yet, you would still need to negotiate with the agency because it may offer you a bad settlement, just like an insurance company would in a car accident case. You do not need to accept whatever MARTA offers you.

If MARTA denies your claim, or it will not offer you the money that you deserve to pay for your injuries in full, you can sue them just like any defendant in court. Our attorneys know exactly how to take on MARTA because we have done it for injured clients just like you. We know what resources MARTA may try to use to keep you from getting paid, and we understand what needs to be done. Judges and juries do not give MARTA any advantage just because they are a public agency.

Call a Cumming MARTA Accident Lawyer

Because of the special rules that apply to claims against MARTA, you cannot delay calling an attorney after you have been injured in an accident. At Spaulding Injury Law, we know exactly what to do when taking on powerful agencies like MARTA. We make sure that they are treated like everyone else when their actions have injured you. Call us today at 470 695-9950 or contact us online to schedule your free initial consultation.

Spaulding Injury Law Cumming Personal Injury Lawyers is located at 5860 Bond St, Cumming, GA 30040, United States.