What to Do After a Mass Transit Accident

Mass transit accidents occur for many of the same reasons as standard passenger vehicle accidents; driver inattention, obstacles in the road, and inclement weather can make any kind of travel particularly dangerous. Mass transit is a term used to refer to methods of mass or public transportation such as buses, trains, subways, ferries, monorails, and even airplanes, which generally take a large group of people from place to place. Depending on the type of vehicle and severity of accident, injuries can range from minor to severe and even fatal. If you or a loved one were injured in a mass transit accident, reach out to a personal injury attorney to discuss your options for physical and financial recovery.

Steps to take after being involved in a mass transit accident:

• Seek immediate medical attention. Some injuries sustained in a mass transit accident may be so mild that they are not felt for days or even weeks after an accident. However, waiting to seek medical care can have a negative impact on your case further down the road. It is important to seek medical care after any mass transit or other accident to ensure that an official record exists documenting what happened as well as any immediately evident injuries.
• Attend any follow-up medical appointments. This might seem unimportant, but it is imperative to attend any follow-up medical appointments requested by your doctor. Not only does this prioritize your health, which should be the main focus of recovery, but also ensures that continuing records exist documenting your injuries and recovery process. This is also a great way to fight back against potential arguments regarding the severity of your injury.
• Collect evidence from the scene of the accident. Depending on the severity of the accident, you may or may not be able to collect evidence at the scene. If you are too injured to do so, a loved one or even a personal injury attorney can do so on your behalf. Evidence which should be collected from the scene of the accident includes pictures of the vehicle itself as well as any other vehicles involved in the accident, pictures of any property damaged in the accident, pictures of any environmental factors which could have contributed to the accident, and pictures of the injury itself. It is also a good idea to collect the contact information of other passengers as well as outside witnesses to the scene.
• Contact a personal injury attorney. Mass transit accidents are unique from standard vehicle accidents as you are often dealing with a large corporation or state agency in regard to seeking compensation. These parties have access to legal and insurance resources that the average person does not, so it’s important to reach out to an attorney and even the playing field. It may help to note that most of the attorneys who handle mass transit accident cases offer free consultations and work on a contingency fee basis; this means a client does not pay for their services unless they win the case.

If you or a loved one were injured or killed in a mass transit accident, don’t wait to act. Reach out to a mass transit accident attorney as soon as possible to begin taking real steps toward recovery.