Many parties could be liable in a tour bus accident
A tour bus can be a fun and exciting way to bring together large groups for travel and tourism in Georgia. However, tour bus crashes can also cause devastating injuries impacting large numbers of people. When a tour bus crashes, it’s important to be aware of the various parties involved.
A tour bus is considered a “common carrier”. This means that it must exercise a great deal of care for the safety of its passengers. Violations of this duty of care can result from negligent acts or willful acts on the part of the bus or tour operator. If an accident is caused by a third party’s actions, however, that party is likely to bear responsibility.
Some examples of acts on the part of a bus driver or company that could lead to liability would include a driver failing to stop in a safe place, speeding or violating traffic laws by tailgating or driving in the wrong direction. However, if the bus was hit by a reckless driver, the bus or tour company would be unlikely to bear responsibility for the damages.
Several parties could be responsibility for commercial vehicle accidents on a tour bus. For example, the company or organization operating the tour, which has a responsibility to hire a safe, reliable bus company. The bus company itself must ensure the safety of its buses and drivers, and a driver who acts negligently could lead to the company that hired him being responsible for ensuing injuries. Even some destinations and venues could have responsibility in a tour bus incident, for maintaining unsafe, dangerous or poorly maintained premises or stop locations that played a role in the incident.
A personal injury lawyer can assess the situation following a tour bus accident and provide advice to people who were injured. Legal counsel could review the police investigation report and other evidence in order to pinpoint the party or parties that should be held responsible.