While most sight-seeing tours occur without incident, sometimes the unexpected happens wherein people are injured in accidents while enjoying the sights and sounds of San Francisco on trolleys, boats and buses. If you or someone you care about has been injured while on a sight-seeing tour, you may wonder what legal recourse you have.

Public transportation services are known as “common carriers”. These services include sight-seeing trolleys, boats and buses as well as taxis, planes and cable cars. Common carriers charge passengers as a part of a business operation that is open to the public. Under law, common carriers must exercise the highest degree of care and vigilance to ensure their passengers (and the public) are safe. They also must ensure that their vehicles are safe and fit for transport.

Law dictates that common carriers must:

• Provide additional assistance to elderly and disabled passengers
• Provide special seating for disabled and elderly passengers
• Provide a seat for every passenger (with the exception of municipal buses)
• See to it that vehicles are not overloaded with passengers, cargo
• Keep equipment in good working condition
• Not start or stop abruptly or drive in an unsafe manner
• Must allow passengers to disembark in safe areas at their destinations

An individual involved in an accident on, or hurt by a common carrier or while getting on or off a common carrier, has the right to file a legal claim in an attempt to recover damages for their injuries. For example, if a person is injured in a sight-seeing bus collision that was caused by the driver neglecting to stop at a red light, that injured individual can file a legal claim so that the parties responsible for the accident are held accountable. In this claim, the victim can attempt to recover monetary compensation for medical expenses related to his/her injuries, loss of income, pain & suffering and for other damages suffered which are directly related to the injuries he/she sustained.

It is highly advisable for anyone seriously injured on a sight-seeing tour to work with an experienced San Francisco personal accident attorney. This type of attorney has the expertise and resources necessary to thoroughly investigate all the facts surrounding the accident to determine the cause and identify the responsible parties.

When you work with Hogan Injury, you can be confident that your case is being handled by compassionate legal experts who will aggressively fight for your rights. Our attorneys will thoroughly examine all the facts surrounding the accident so that the responsible parties are identified and held accountable for your injuries.

Our law firm believes that everyone injured in accidents should have access to an attorney regardless of their financial situation. This is why we provide our clients with a guaranteed no-fee policy – you do not pay unless we win or settle your case.

Causes of Sight-Seeing Tour Accidents

Often times, it is found that the cause of an accident on a sight-seeing trolley, boat or bus is negligence on part of the company (owner) to properly maintain the vehicle or equipment.

Boat and trolley operators as well as bus drivers are required to use extreme care and caution while operating their vehicles to ensure passenger and public safety. All too often, driver negligence is found to be the cause of many sight-seeing tour accidents. Sometimes it is found that a part of a bus, trolley or boat was poorly designed or defective wherein it caused an accident that injured people.

Once your attorney analyzes the circumstances of your case, he/she may find that one of the following parties is liable for your injuries:

• Driver/operator
• Vehicle manufacturer
• Transit company
• Repair/maintenance company or service

Tourist Injuries

Northern California is a mecca for domestic and international tourists. When you step onto a sight-seeing bus, trolley or boat, you expect that your time on board will be pleasurable and safe. Unfortunately, hundreds of accidents happen each year on sight-seeing tours wherein tourists are seriously injured. These injuries run the gamut from broken bones and head & neck injuries to life-changing traumatic brain injuries that require long-term treatment and care.

The Bay Area personal injury attorneys at Hogan Injury understand how a serious injury can affect your life and the lives of your loved ones. You may be facing a lifetime of pain and discomfort and a growing pile of medical expenses that puts your financial future in jeopardy. You may worry that you may not fully recover from your injury wherein you’ll need on-going, expensive care or that your injury interferes with your ability to work. These are valid concerns which can be especially worrisome when you have people depending on you such as your spouse/partner or children.

Compensation

As an injured victim of an accident involving a sight-seeing bus, trolley or boat, you may be able to collect compensation to cover:

• Medical expenses (past, present & future)
• Loss of earnings and any future losses
• Your out-of-pocket expenses
• Pain and suffering

Wrongful Death

If you’ve tragically lost a loved one in a sight-seeing accident involving a trolley, boat or bus, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim. In this type of claim, you can seek financial recovery that will compensate you for the loss of the person you loved. Our San Francisco wrongful death attorneys can help you by finding out who or what was to blame for the accident that claimed the life of your loved one so that those responsible are held accountable. While no amount of money can replace a person you loved and cared about, monies recovered in a wrongful death claim can pay medical bills and secure the survivors’ financial future.

Contact Hogan Injury today for a no-cost consultation. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak with you.