Bus Accident Lawyer in Los Angeles
If you were hurt in a bus accident in Los Angeles, a bus accident lawyer can hold the carrier accountable and pursue full compensation for your injuries. A bus company or transit agency that carries passengers for a fare owes them the highest duty of care under California law. If the bus was public, like LA Metro or LADOT, you may have as little as six months to present a written claim, so call Moe Abdallah Law, P.C. right away.
If you were hurt in a bus accident in Los Angeles, a bus accident lawyer can take on the carrier and its insurer and pursue the full value of your injuries while you focus on healing. As a Los Angeles bus accident lawyer, Moe Abdallah handles bus injury claims against both private carriers and public agencies. Buses carry a special legal weight: under California law, a bus company or transit agency that carries passengers for a fare owes them the highest duty of care on the road. When that duty is broken, you deserve real answers and real compensation. If a public agency like LA Metro or LADOT was involved, the clock is short and unforgiving, so the sooner you call, the more we can protect. There's no fee unless we win your bus injury claim.
Metro, DASH, FlyAway and the other buses on LA streets
Los Angeles runs several bus systems, and the one you rode decides who answers for your injuries. LA Metro runs the county's big bus network plus the lettered rail and busway lines. Metro's schedules page lists the A, B, C, D, E, G, J and K Lines. Metro hands out letters in the order each line first opened, so the old Blue Line, its first rail line from 1990, is now the A Line. The City of Los Angeles runs its own buses through LADOT. DASH serves Downtown Los Angeles and 27 neighborhoods across the city. LADOT also runs Commuter Express, Cityride for people 65 and older and qualified riders with disabilities, and LAnow on-demand shared rides. Metro Micro is Metro's own on-demand shared-ride service. Near the airport, the LAX/Metro Transit Center is served by the C and K Lines and by Metro bus lines 102, 111, 117, 120 and 232. A free shuttle runs from Bus Bays 1 and 2 to every LAX terminal. FlyAway nonstop buses link the terminals with Union Station and Van Nuys. Each of these can have a different operator, a different claims office and a different insurer. A crash on an airport shuttle may not follow the same path as a crash on a DASH bus downtown. So write down the route number, the bus number painted on the side or front, the stop, and the time. Save any fare receipt. Those details let us name the right agency the first time, which matters when a six-month claim window is running.
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Filing a claim against LA Metro, LADOT or the County
A government-run bus brings a short clock. You have six months from the crash to present a written claim (Gov. Code § 911.2). The claim has to give your name and address, the date, place and facts of the crash, your injuries, and the employees involved if you know them. If you claim more than $10,000, you don't state a dollar figure (Gov. Code § 910). For an LA Metro bus or train, Metro's contacts page links a Claim for Damages form in English and Spanish through Metro Customer Relations, 213.922.6235 or 1.800.464.2111. The form says to mail it to Office of Board Administration, Legal Services, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, One Gateway Plaza, 99-PL-4, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952. It says an adjuster will reach out in about ten days. For a DASH or Commuter Express bus, the claim goes to the City of Los Angeles, and only the Office of the City Clerk can accept it. File online, mail the signed form, or deliver it to City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395. Email and fax won't work for this office. For a county vehicle, the County's form goes to the Board of Supervisors claims desk at 500 West Temple Street, Room 383. Because that form was published in 2016, check the address before you mail it. The agency then has 45 days to act, or the claim counts as rejected (Gov. Code § 912.4). You can't sue until that happens (§ 945.4). After a written rejection, you have six months to file suit (§ 945.6). Miss the first deadline and you can only ask for leave to file late, within one year (§ 911.4).
LAPD or CHP: who reports a bus crash depends on the road
Don't assume a police report exists. California makes most drivers in an injury crash file a written report with CHP or city police within 24 hours, but that rule exempts common-carrier drivers (Vehicle Code § 20008(a)). So call 911 and make sure officers come. On city streets, the Los Angeles Police Department investigates. A bus crash downtown usually goes to Central Traffic Division at 251 E. 6th St., which covers Central, Hollenbeck, Newton, Northeast and Rampart. South, West and Valley Traffic Divisions cover the rest of the city. Order an LAPD report online and give it at least 45 days. Reports involving an arrest, a death or a juvenile must be ordered by mail with a $19 check or money order. On freeways, the California Highway Patrol takes over. The CHP Central Los Angeles Area office, at 777 W. Washington Blvd., covers I-5, I-10, US-101, SR-60 at the East LA Interchange, the Four-Level Interchange of US-101 and SR-110, SR-2 and I-110. Its West Los Angeles Area office at 6300 Bristol Parkway in Culver City covers I-405 and I-10, and its area contains LAX. You can visit a CHP office on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. A party of interest can pick up a CHP report at any CHP office for a fee, or mail a CHP 190 form or a letter with a copy of a driver license to the office that wrote it. CHP also has an online Crash Report Search. CHP only releases reports it investigated, so a freeway report won't come from LAPD.
Trauma care for bus riders and the people buses hit
Bus riders get hurt in ways car occupants often don't. Standing passengers fall into poles and seats. Seated riders slam forward with no belt to stop them. People on foot or on bikes struck by a bus take the full weight of the vehicle. The trauma centers that take the worst bus crash injuries are listed in the LA County EMS Agency's receiving hospital directory. Los Angeles General Medical Center at 1200 North State Street, Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Beverly Boulevard, and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance are Level I. Dignity Health-California Hospital Medical Center at 1401 South Grand Avenue is Level II, and so are Dignity Health-Northridge Hospital Medical Center and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills. Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the pediatric Level I center if a child was hurt. If several people are hurt, they may go to different hospitals. That means the records for your crash may live in different places, and so may the names of other witnesses. Keep your discharge papers, prescriptions and follow-up notes. Write down the names of any riders you met at the hospital. Back and neck injuries from a hard stop often feel worse days later, so see your doctor if pain shows up after you get home. Tell every provider you were on a bus, and where you were standing or sitting. That detail helps your doctors, and it ties your injuries to the carrier's duty of care. We gather each hospital's chart and match it to the bus video and the police report.
Bus video, maintenance logs and the Stanley Mosk Courthouse
A bus crash leaves a trail of records the carrier controls. Onboard video, the driver's training and discipline file, dispatch logs and maintenance records all sit with the agency or company. A carrier must provide vehicles that are safe and fit for their use, and no amount of care excuses a failure to do so (Civil Code § 2101). That makes brake, door and repair logs fair game. A public agency is also liable for its driver's negligence on the job (Gov. Code § 815.2(a)). We send preservation demands right away, before routine deletion or a records cycle wipes anything out. We also look for video from businesses along the route and from other vehicles. If the claim is rejected, or the 45 days pass, your lawsuit goes to the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. Under the court's Local Rule 2.3(a)(1)(A), unlimited civil injury cases are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 North Hill Street, or at the Antelope Valley Courthouse in Lancaster. Per the court, a group of Stanley Mosk courtrooms is dedicated to personal injury matters. A 2024 pilot sent some new motor vehicle injury cases to Van Nuys, Pomona and West Covina, and we confirm whether it still applies when we file. When many riders are hurt, their claims may compete for the same coverage, so early action protects your share. Moe Abdallah works from 527 W 7th St in downtown Los Angeles, takes your call himself, and tracks every deadline from the first day.
Why bus companies owe you the highest duty of care
Under California Civil Code section 2100, a bus company or transit agency that carries passengers for a fare must use "the utmost care and diligence" to carry them safely, provide everything necessary for that purpose, and use a reasonable degree of skill. Civil Code section 2101 also requires vehicles that are safe and fit for use, and Civil Code section 2168 makes anyone who offers to carry the public a common carrier. The California Supreme Court applied this same duty to a Los Angeles public bus operator in <em>Lopez v. Southern California Rapid Transit Dist.</em> (1985) 40 Cal.3d 780. That is a higher standard than the ordinary care an everyday driver owes. A bus operator has to watch the road, brake and turn safely, screen and train drivers, and keep the vehicle in good repair. It also means small lapses that might be excused for a regular driver can amount to a breach of duty for a carrier. When a carrier cuts corners on any of that and you get hurt, the law is on your side. We use that heightened duty to press your claim, whether the crash came from a distracted or fatigued driver, unsafe speed, a sudden and jerky stop, a badly maintained bus, or a driver who never should have been behind the wheel. That higher standard often gives us an edge the insurer would rather you not know about, and we use it from the first demand letter forward.
Which bus was it? Public transit, charter, school, or tour
Who you file against depends on the bus. Public transit lines like LA Metro, LADOT DASH and Commuter Express, Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, and Foothill Transit are run by government agencies, and a claim against a public entity follows special rules and a very short deadline. Charter buses, tour buses, and private shuttle companies that offer rides to the public are common carriers too, but an injury claim against them follows the standard two-year deadline. School buses can involve both a district and a private contractor. Interstate lines like Greyhound bring in federal safety rules on top of California law. There can also be more than one party to pursue: the agency or company that ran the bus, a maintenance contractor, a parts maker, or another driver whose car forced the crash. We sort out every possible defendant fast, because naming the wrong party or missing a deadline can end an otherwise strong case. If your crash happened while you were boarding, riding, or getting off any of these buses in Los Angeles County, we can tell you within the first call which rules and which deadline apply to you.
Injuries we see in bus crashes and why they cost more than the first offer
City bus riders often have no seatbelt and nothing to brace against, so even a low-speed crash throws people into seats, poles, and each other. We handle claims involving whiplash and neck injuries, herniated discs and back injuries, concussions and traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, shoulder and knee injuries that need surgery, and spinal-cord damage. Pedestrians and other drivers struck by a bus often face the worst harm of all because of the vehicle's size and weight. Insurers like to make a quick offer before the full picture is clear, before you finish treatment or a surgery is scheduled. A settlement is final, so cashing an early check from the carrier usually means giving up money you'll need later. We wait until your prognosis is clear and value the case for what it will really cost you over your lifetime.
What to do after a bus accident in Los Angeles
Get medical care right away
Call 911 and get checked out even if you feel okay. A jolt from a hard stop can hide pain for hours, and carriers point to any delay in treatment to cut what they pay.
Document the bus and the scene
Note the bus number, route, and agency, and photograph the interior, the vehicles, and your injuries. Get the names and numbers of other passengers and witnesses, and the police report number.
Call us before you miss the deadline
If a public agency like Metro or LADOT was involved, you may have only six months to present a written claim. Do not give a recorded statement or take any offer first. The consultation is free.
How the bus company and its insurer fight you, and how we fight back
A bus company and its insurer are not on your side. Their job is to pay you as little as they can, and a public agency has its own legal team ready to protect the public budget. They will move fast to control the story: pulling the driver's account, securing the onboard video before you can, and floating a low settlement while you are still hurting. They may claim the driver did nothing wrong, that your injuries were already there, or that you contributed to the crash. We shut those tactics down. We move quickly to preserve the bus camera footage, maintenance logs, and driver records, we build the medical and liability evidence into a demand they cannot lowball, and we prepare every case as if it will go to trial. That is why carriers take represented clients seriously and pay more.
What your bus accident claim can recover
- ✓Medical expenses. Paramedics, ER visits, surgery, scans, medicine, and physical therapy after the bus crash, including care you'll still need.
- ✓Lost income. Pay lost while you heal, and lower earning power if the injuries change the work you can do.
- ✓Pain & suffering. Physical pain, emotional distress, and the daily activities you can no longer enjoy since the crash.
- ✓Future care. Rehab, follow-up treatment, and any long-term care your doctors say your bus crash injuries will require.
- ✓Out-of-pocket costs. Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, and other expenses tied to the crash.
- ✓Punitive damages. Extra damages meant to punish a private company or driver whose conduct was malicious, proven by clear and convincing evidence (Civ. Code § 3294). Public agencies like Metro cannot be made to pay them (Gov. Code § 818).
California injury law, the deadlines that matter
Under California Civil Code § 2100, a bus company or transit agency that carries passengers for a fare must use "the utmost care and diligence" for their safe carriage, provide everything necessary for that purpose, and use a reasonable degree of skill. Under Civ. Code § 2168, a common carrier is anyone who offers to carry the public, and a public bus operator owes passengers this same duty (Lopez v. Southern California Rapid Transit Dist. (1985) 40 Cal.3d 780). Your deadline depends on who you are making the claim against. If the bus or driver belongs to a public entity, such as LA Metro, LADOT, Big Blue Bus, or Foothill Transit, you generally must present a written government claim within six months of the crash (Gov. Code § 911.2). You generally cannot sue until the claim is denied or treated as denied, which happens if the agency does not act within 45 days (Gov. Code §§ 912.4, 945.4). After a written denial notice, you usually have only six months to file suit (Gov. Code § 945.6). If you miss the six-month claim deadline, you may apply for permission to file a late claim, but no later than one year after the crash (Gov. Code § 911.4). Against a private bus company, tour bus, or charter operator, you usually have two years from the crash to sue for personal injury (Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1) and three years for damage to property (Code Civ. Proc. § 338(c)(1)). A rider who was partly at fault can still recover under California's pure comparative negligence rule (Li v. Yellow Cab Co. (1975) 13 Cal.3d 804). The award just shrinks by the rider's share. When many passengers are hurt in one crash, their claims may compete for the same limited insurance coverage, so it is important to act quickly.
Why people hurt in LA bus crashes call Moe Abdallah Law
Moe runs your bus case himself
Attorney Moe Abdallah handles your bus claim personally, deals with the carrier or transit agency, and updates you by call and text as the claim moves past each deadline.
No fee unless we win
Nothing upfront, and no fee unless we recover money from the bus company or agency. The consultation is always free.
We move fast on deadlines
A claim against a public bus agency must be presented within six months, and a lawsuit usually must follow within six months of a written denial. We file the right notices on time and preserve the evidence before it disappears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nothing upfront. Bus injury cases are handled on a contingency fee, so we're paid from what the carrier or agency pays you. If there's no recovery, there's no fee. The consultation is always free.
Not long. When a public agency like LA Metro or LADOT is involved, California Government Code § 911.2 usually gives you just six months from the date of the crash to present a written government claim. If the agency sends a written denial, you then have six months from that notice to file a lawsuit (Gov. Code § 945.6). Miss the claim deadline and you may only be able to ask for permission to file a late claim, and never later than one year after the crash (Gov. Code § 911.4). Call us as soon as you can so we can file on time.
For a private carrier such as a charter or tour bus, you generally have two years from the date of the crash to sue for your injuries under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1, and three years for damage to your property (Code Civ. Proc. § 338(c)(1)). Even so, call early. Evidence like onboard video gets erased fast.
Under California Civil Code § 2168, a company that offers to carry the public is a common carrier. Civil Code § 2100 then requires a carrier that takes passengers for a fare to use "the utmost care and diligence" for their safety, provide everything necessary for that purpose, and use a reasonable degree of skill. That is a stronger standard than an ordinary driver owes, and it applies to public bus agencies too, which helps your claim.
If you weren't hurt, you may be able to handle it yourself. But bus claims often involve a government agency, a six-month deadline to present a claim, and a defense team paid to pay you less. If you were injured, a lawyer usually puts more money in your pocket even after fees. Not sure? Call and we'll give you a plain answer at no cost.
No. You are not required to give the bus company's insurer a recorded statement, and it's used to twist your words and shrink your claim. Tell the adjuster no, and don't describe the crash, where you were sitting or standing, or your injuries. Refer them to us and we'll take every call from the carrier.
Usually not while you're still treating. A bus settlement is final, and an early offer rarely covers what your injuries will cost over time. Bring any offer to us and we'll review it at no charge first.
Yes. Being thrown into a pole or seat can cause whiplash, a back injury, or a concussion you may not feel for days. A carrier will hold any gap before your first doctor visit against you, so get examined and keep every record. Then call us.
It happens often, and it matters. When many people are injured in one crash, their claims may compete for the same limited insurance coverage, so the available money can run out. Acting early helps protect your share, so call us as soon as you can.
School-bus cases can involve the school district, a private bus contractor, or both, and a claim against a public district follows the six-month government-claim deadline, and that deadline is not extended because the rider is a child (Code Civ. Proc. § 352(b)). We identify every responsible party and file the right notices on time. Call us and we'll walk you through it.
Yes. Under California's pure comparative negligence rule, fault assigned to you lowers your award by that percentage but doesn't bar it. A carrier may argue you weren't holding on or were standing in an unsafe spot, and we answer with the onboard video and witness accounts.
It depends on your injuries and whether a public agency is involved. A minor bus injury claim may resolve in a few months. Serious injuries take longer, because we wait until your doctors know your long-term outlook before we settle. A public-agency claim also has its own 45-day review step. You'll get regular updates from us along the way.
Yes, Se Habla Español. We can handle your bus claim, and any agency paperwork, in Spanish or English.
Use Metro's Claim for Damages form, linked from Metro's contacts page in English and Spanish. Metro Customer Relations can help at 213.922.6235 or 1.800.464.2111. The form says to mail it to Office of Board Administration, Legal Services, One Gateway Plaza, 99-PL-4, Los Angeles, CA 90012-2952. The deadline to present it is six months from the crash (Gov. Code § 911.2). Metro has 45 days to act on it (§ 912.4). After a written rejection, you have six months to sue (§ 945.6). We can file it for you.
On city streets, LAPD's Traffic Divisions investigate. Order the report online and allow at least 45 days. On a freeway, the California Highway Patrol writes it, and you get it from the CHP area office that responded, such as Central Los Angeles at 777 W. Washington Blvd. Common-carrier drivers are exempt from the usual 24-hour written report rule (Vehicle Code § 20008(a)), so call 911 and make sure officers come to the scene. If you hire us, we order the report ourselves.
DASH is run by LADOT, part of the City of Los Angeles, so the claim goes to the Office of the City Clerk. It's the only office that can accept a claim against the City. File it online, mail the signed form, or deliver it to City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Room 395. Email and fax filings aren't an option. You have six months from the crash to present it (Gov. Code § 911.2). Call us early, because the window closes fast.
Other ways we help
Bus Accidents lawyer by area
We represent bus accidents victims across Los Angeles County:
Authoritative resources: California Courts, self-help for injury claims · Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1, 2-year deadline · California DMV · California Office of Traffic Safety, crash data
Sources & local resources
- Claim for Damages form · LA Metro
- Contacts (Claim for Damages links) · LA Metro
- Claim for Damage · Office of the Los Angeles City Clerk
- Transit (DASH, Commuter Express, Cityride, LAnow) · LADOT
- Go Metro to LAX · LA Metro
- (590) Central Los Angeles · California Highway Patrol
- Cal. Civil Code § 2100 · California Legislative Information
- Frequently Asked Questions · California Highway Patrol
Talk to Moe Abdallah directly
When you call Moe Abdallah Law, you work directly with your attorney and get straight answers, not a call center. Moe takes on the insurance companies and fights for the maximum, and he keeps you updated at every step. The consultation is free and you pay nothing unless he wins.
Real recoveries for real Angelenos
Real recoveries from an attorney who takes your case personally and fights for the maximum.
Rear-ended by a driver who fled, and other firms turned her down. Moe opened an uninsured-motorist claim, proved she could not have been at fault, and secured the full policy limit.
Broke his sternum and had no insurance of his own, and his prior attorney ignored him. Moe took his calls day and night and recovered a settlement that covered his hospital bills and future treatment.
Cut off on the freeway and left with back and neck pain over four months of treatment. Moe secured the full policy limit for his pain and suffering, and his totaled car was reimbursed.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and depends on its own facts.
Talk to a lawyer today, free
Tell us what happened. We respond fast, usually within the hour, and there's no fee unless we win. Available 24/7 · Se Habla Español.
Call (323) 716-1992