London Bus And Coach Accident Claims Guide – How To Claim Compensation For A Bus Accident In London?
By Daniel Archer. Last Updated 22nd June 2022. Have you been hurt whilst travelling on a bus or coach in or around London? If so, you may be eligible to make a London bus and coach accident claim for the harm suffered. Buses operated by Transport for London, sightseeing buses, and coaches often have to transport large numbers of passengers, both seated and standing.
London bus accident claims
At the same time, those seated often do not have any form of seat restraint. This makes journeys on buses more dangerous than other forms of transport on the roads, and the likelihood of injuries higher. Injuries can be caused by a driver being negligent to their surroundings, vehicles not having been properly serviced and maintained, the actions of a fellow passenger, road traffic accidents, or simply during an emergency stop.
If you have been injured on a bus whilst visiting London or travelling around the city, find out how to claim compensation in our guide below or simply call Legal Expert who can provide you with all the advice that is needed. Even if you do not live in London and were visiting from another part of the UK, or abroad, we can help you to claim compensation.
Select A Section
- A Guide To London Bus And Coach Accident Claims
- Circumstances Which Could Lead To An Accident On A Bus
- EU Bus And Coach Passenger Rights Explained
- Airport Transfer And Coach Trip Accidents
- I Suffered Whiplash In A London Bus Or Coach Accident, Can I Claim?
- How Long Do I Have To Make My Claim?
- What Could I Include In My London Bus Accident Claim?
- Compensation Payouts For London Bus Accident Claims
- No Win No Fee London Bus And Coach Accident Claim
- How We Can Help You If Injured In A Bus Or Coach Accident In London
- Start Your Claim By Contacting Us Today
- Helpful Links
A Guide To London Bus And Coach Accident Claims
As the UK’s capital city, London is home to the countries highest concentration of coaches and buses. Not accounting for private buses and coaches (such as those running to other parts of the UK or continental Europe, nor general sightseeing buses) there were 675 bus routes in operation in August 2017. These included 19,000 bus stops and were served by 9,000 buses. The network serves millions of passengers on an annual basis including commuters, those taking leisure journeys, and visitors to the city from other parts of the UK or from abroad.
Whilst buses operating in London, either for Transport For London (TFL), or for private companies have to meet strict health and safety standards for the sake of the driver, passengers, and other road users, accidents and injuries do happen. Statistics released by TFL do show that there has been an increase in the number of accident and injuries involving buses in London. At the same time, there may have been an increase in the number of people making bus passenger accident claims. Please read on to find out how to claim after a bus accident or call Legal Expert who can answer any questions you may have.
Circumstances Which Could Lead To An Accident On A Bus
The circumstances in which your coach or bus accident happened could include (but is not limited to) these causes;
- Your bus may have been involved in a collision with another vehicle which was not the fault of your driver
- Your bus may have been in a collision which was the fault of your driver
- Your bus accident may have been caused by improper maintenance of the vehicle
- The accident could have been caused by the driver being fatigued
- The road itself may have been in a state of disrepair, leading to an accident
If you have been injured whilst on a bus or coach in London, contact our team today to make a London bus accident claim.
EU Bus And Coach Passenger Rights Explained
Transport for London and the UK government take health and safety for those on the road, including buses in the capital seriously. You can find information on health and safety on the London transport network here. Whilst most bus journeys in or across London might only take you a few miles around the city, if your accident happened whilst you were travelling to or from the capital on a long distance coach or an organised coach trip which travelled 250 km/ 155 miles, you could be protected under additional EU passenger rights. According to EU regulations pertaining to bus accident law, if you are injured on a regular coach journey over 250 kilometers, you may be able claim compensation. You are also entitled to claim compensation for damage to or loss of your luggage.
Under UK and EU bus accident law, the operator of the bus or coach also has an obligation to provide you with help and assistance (such as reaching your destination), compensation, and immediate medical care, as well as food and drink in an emergency.
You can find out more about your rights as a passenger on a long-distance coach journey under EU law in this guide.
Airport Transfer And Coach Trip Accidents
London is served by several large airports, such Heathrow a UK hub, Gatwick, Stansted, as well as several smaller airports. Those airport serving the capital and their passenger numbers in 2017 were
- Heathrow, 77.99 million passengers
- Gatwick, 45.55 million passengers
- Stansted, 25.90 million passengers
- Luton, 15.99 million passengers
- London City Airport, 4.53 million passengers
- Southend, 1.09 million passengers
With a total of over 171 million people travelling through the capitals airports in a single year, millions of these people will have taken onward bus or coach journeys to reach their destination. If you booked your airport transfer bus or coach as part of a package holiday and were involved in an accident, you could make a personal injury claim against the bus company or against your holiday provider. An accident on an airport transfer can spoil your holiday, so you could make a claim with one of our specialist personal injury solicitors.
Similarly, if you were injured whilst on an organised coach to or from London which was booked through a UK based organisation, and were injured in an accident, you can make a personal injury claim. Contact our team today to find out what your city bus accident settlement could be worth.
I Suffered Whiplash In A London Bus Or Coach Accident, Can I Claim?
If you have been involved in any form of road traffic accident, one of the most common and prevalent forms of injury which you may have suffered is that of Whiplash. If you have suffered whiplash, you can find out how much you can get from a bus accident in our whiplash compensation calculator. Alternatively you can call Legal Expert who may be able to offer you a more accurate estimation.
The symptoms of whiplash
The symptoms of whiplash are caused by the connective tissues, the tendons and ligaments, being stretched and trained much farther or sharper than they usually would be. This type of injury usually happens extremely suddenly at the moment of impact. As well as damage to connective tissues, victims may also suffer tears in the muscle tissues of the neck, shoulders, and upper back. This damage can lead to people suffering pain and reduced mobility over the long term.
You can find out more about the symptoms of whiplash in this handy NHS guide.
Steps to take after a whiplash bus accident injury
If you think that you do have whiplash, there are a few steps that you could take.
- Firstly, you should make sure that you get any medical treatment which you need for your injuries. Tell your doctor what happened and about any symptoms, such as pain you have in your neck
- You may have to have a thorough medical examination and an X-ray if necessary
- Finally, after taking care of your health you could contact an experienced personal injury lawyer and instruct them to begin a claim on your behalf
How Long Do I Have To Make My Claim?
The simplest answer to this is that in most instances of making a personal injury claim, you have three years to claim after a bus accident. However, there can be numerous exceptions to this. The three year period in which you can make a claim will start either at the date the injury itself happened or the date when your injury was diagnosed. In essence, this will mean that if you were immediately aware of your injury, the three year period will begin then. However, if your injury was diagnosed much later, this date of knowledge will mark the date from which your three-year period will begin.
If your bus accident claim involves an injury to a child, then the time limits will be different. The parent or responsible adult will have up until the child turns eighteen in which to make their claim. At this point, if a claim has not been made the child themselves will then have three years in which to do so.
To find out more about how to claim within the time limits after a bus accident, please speak to one of our advisors.
What Could I Include In My London Bus Accident Claim?
As we have already seen in the section looking at passenger rights, your claim could include damages for injuries suffered and even damage to or loss of your personal property (provided your journey meets qualifying criteria). But, what can standard personal injury claims in the UK include?
Your claim can include general damages compensation, which is designed to compensate you for the physical or psychological injury which you have sustained. Depending on the severity of your injury, this will probably be the largest part of your settlement.
Next, you can also claim for a variety of other losses or forms of damages. These include:
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- Compensation for loss of income, either earnings or benefits. The income must have been lost due to you needing to take time off work as a result of your accident.
- Compensation for the cost of medical treatment, or care. This might include the cost of private medical treatment, prescription medication, or home care.
- Travel expenses. These might include the expenses incurred in travelling to or from medical appointments, or emergency travel home after your accident.
- Loss of enjoyment of your trip. If you were on holiday or an excursion or trip which you had pre-booked, you could be able to claim compensation if you were then unable to enjoy this excursion due to your injuries.
Compensation Payouts For London Bus Accident Claims
If you have been injured due to a bus accident in London that was caused by negligence, then you may be entitled to compensation. If so, then you may also be wondering how much your settlement could be worth. This section focuses on how a general damages payment is calculated. This is the figure that is awarded to you for the pain and suffering your injuries cause you.
Due to the varying severity of injuries, the value of this figure can depend on a number of key factors. For example, a London bus crash could lead to:
- Broken bones
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Lacerations
These injuries could affect the claimant’s life in different ways, which is why each case should be assessed individually.
To assist legal professionals in their calculations, they make use of various resources such as medical evidence. There is also a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG) which they utilise. We have included some figures from the 2022 edition of the JCG in the table below. This is the most recent update of the publication. Use these figures as a rough guide only. Your own claim will require individual assessment before you find out how much you could be awarded.
| Type of injury and seriousness | Further information on the nature of the injury | Upper & lower limits for settlement |
|---|---|---|
| Severe wrist injuries | Loss of function | £47,620 to £59,860 |
| Less severe wrist injuries | But there will be lasting symptoms such as stiffness and pain | £12,590 to £24,500 |
| Simple wrist injury | Colles’ fracture with no additional complications | In the region of £7,430 |
| Moderate level of back injury | Injuries which affect the connective tissues of the back. This can include, but is not limited to those affecting connective tissues (e.g. the ligaments and tendons) as well injury to the muscles. Whilst the injury is healing, the victim will still suffer pain. | £12,510 to £38,780 |
| Minor level of back injury | Minor back injuries could include symptoms such as serious bruises and muscle sprains or strains. The injury should leave no permanent symptoms of damage. | Up to £12,510 |
| Severe level of neck injury | The effect of this level of injury on the claimant will be long-term. In some instances it could be permanent. This means that even after a recovery period, the victim may still experience some symptoms. | Up to somewhere in the region of £148,330 |
| Moderate level of neck injury | The longer the victim experiences pain and suffering, the higher the settlement that they will be awarded. | £7,890 to £38,490 |
| Minor level of neck injury | This might include much less serious levels of whiplash, or similar forms of injury. | Up to £7,890 |
| Serious form of shoulder injury | More serious than the category above. Injury equivalent to a dislocated shoulder joint. | £12,770 to £19,200 |
| Moderate form of shoulder injury | Moderate injuries might include those equivalent to a frozen shoulder. | £7,890 to £12,770 |
If you have been injured in a London bus crash, get in touch with us today and we can tell you whether your claim is valid.
More examples of London bus accident claims
If you have suffered an injury after a London bus accident, you may be able to receive compensation if you’re able to show that your injury was caused by negligence. The compensation table above provides figures that relate to general damages. This head of your claim seeks to compensate you for the pain and suffering caused by injuries you sustained in a bus accident in London.
Any financial losses caused by your injury can also be claimed for under special damages. Potential losses you can claim include loss of earnings, travel expenses, medical costs and adjustments that may be needed to your home. However, you must be able to prove these losses with relevant evidence, such as receipts, payslips, bank statements and invoices.
If you would like more examples of London bus accident claims or want to know if you’re able to claim for a bus crash in London, please contact us for free legal advice at a time that works for you.
No Win No Fee London Bus And Coach Accident Claim
After suffering any form of injury, the last thing which you will want to think about is the cost of taking action with a personal injury lawyer or solicitor. In most instances where you are taking civil (i.e. non criminal legal action) you will be expected to pay an upfront fee to use a solicitor. Whilst these costs may be recoverable, they can be prohibitively expensive. Especially so in circumstances where you have already lost income or had unexpected expenses to meet.
Legal Expert offer a no win, no fee service, so you won’t have to pay anything to the solicitor for their services if you do not win your claim. In the event that you do win your claim, your solicitor will be paid from your compensation at an agreed amount. Please note, there are limits to how much a solicitor can charge as a percentage of your settlement.
How We Can Help You If Injured In A Bus Or Coach Accident In London
Legal Expert are an experienced personal injury claims team and as such we know that when it comes to choosing the right solicitor or lawyer for your London bus or coach accident claim you have a lot of choice. This is why our team is always striving to offer the claimants we help a little bit more. We will take the individual circumstances of the accident you were involved in, and the injury you sustained and we will then be able to provide the right personal injury solicitor for your specific claim. If necessary we will also organise for your injuries to be assessed by a member of the nationwide medical expert panel. At the same time, we are also able to offer the majority of those who we help a no win, no fee or ‘conditional fee agreements’. No matter whether you are based in London, or elsewhere in the country, we can help you.
Start Your Claim By Contacting Us Today
To begin your bus passenger accident claim against TFL or another provider operating in or out of the capital, contact Legal Expert today. We have an extremely friendly team of advisors who are ready to help you. They will further explain the process of claiming compensation with our team, and be able to provide estimates as to how much your claim could be worth. Although we are not based in London we can represent anyone who has experienced a personal injury which was not their fault while being in London.
We are here seven days a week from 9am through to 11pm. You can also email us at any time. The best ways to reach our team are by phoning us on 0800 073 8804, sending an email to info@legalexpert.co.uk, or by using the live support feature on this page to start your enquiry.
Helpful Links
We hope to have provided you with all of the information you need to make a London bus or coach accident claim. In addition to this, we have also included more of our guides below.
Bus accident claims
This is our more general guide to claiming compensation for a bus or coach accident which has happened in Great Britain.
Can I claim for a bus accident cause by stopping in an emergency?
Have you been injured in an accident on a bus caused by breaking in an emergency? If so, find out how to claim compensation with this guide.
Package holiday accident claims
Was you injured on a coach trip to, from, or around London booked as part of a package holiday? If so, find out how to make a claim in this guide.
Edited by Melissa.
