Bus Accident Compensation: Your Guide to Making A Claim
Being involved in a bus accident can be a traumatic experience, causing physical and psychological injuries and emotional distress. It can be long road to recovery.
Dealing with the aftermath of a bus accident can be further compounded by the financial strain leaving victims and their family overwhelmed with emotional stress.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident in New South Wales, it’s crucial to understand your legal rights and the compensation you may be entitled to. This blog post serves as a guide to navigating the process of seeking bus accident compensation in NSW.
Bus Accident Compensation
If you have been involved in a bus accident in NSW you should follow the steps below.
Seek Medical Attention
After a bus accident, your health and well-being should be the top priority. Ensure that you seek immediate medical attention, even if your injuries appear minor. It is important to have a contemporaneous record of your injuries. Some injuries might not be immediately evident and as such it is important that you are properly assessed by a doctor.
Report the Bus Accident
If the police did not attend the accident and you haven’t already done so, contact the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 to report the accident as soon as possible. Ask the Police for a ‘Police Event Number’.
If the Police decline to take a report, make a note of the date and time of your call as you will need to explain this to the insurer in due course.
The report to the Police must be made within 28 days of the accident.
Gather Evidence
Collect as much evidence as possible to support your claim. This includes obtaining any photographs of the accident scene, taking photographs of your injuries including as they change over time and keeping any medical referrals, reports, discharge documents, receipts, statements or any other paperwork which may help us with your claim.
Making a Statutory Benefits Claim
Under the Motor Accident Injuries Act people injured in car accidents are entitled to make two types of claims:
- A claim for statutory benefits which covers your loss of earnings and payments for treatment and care.
- A claim for lump sum damages.
Statutory Benefits Claim
- You should complete the Application for Personal Injury Benefits
- Arrange for your treating doctor to complete the Certificate of capacity and fitness for work
Statutory Benefit Entitlements
Under the current legislation, if you make a claim for statutory benefits, you may be entitled to benefits for:
- The cost of reasonable and necessary treatment for your accident-related injuries (eg doctor’s fees, physiotherapy accounts, medicine – prescription or over the counter) as well as the cost of your travel to obtain that treatment;
- The cost of care and assistance for you around the home caused by your accident-related injuries (eg nursing care, cleaning services, gardening assistance);
- The cost of care for your dependents if you need that care because of your accident-related injuries (eg childcare);
- Income support for lost wages or earnings because of your accident-related injuries.
Time Limits for Making a Bus Accident Claim
You must make your statutory benefits claim within three months of the date of the accident. While you can make a late statutory benefits claim, it will be more difficult for you to do so because you will need to explain why you did not make a claim in time.
If you are losing income or wages because of the injuries you sustained in the accident we strongly recommend that you make your claim within 28 days of the date of the accident in order to get your wage loss backdated to the date of the accident.
Why Engage Stacks Goudkamp?
If you or a loved one have been involved in a bus accident in New South Wales, understanding your rights and pursing a motor vehicle accident claim is crucial for your recovery and financial stability.
Engaging the services of an experienced personal injury lawyer is highly recommended when seeking bus accident compensation in New South Wales. Our expert lawyers will guide you through the legal process and advocate on your behalf to ensure you are properly compensated.
By choosing Stacks Goudkamp to represent you in your bus accident compensation claim, you will be in the best of hands. You can be confident that your personal injury lawyer will have the knowledge and the experience and the personality and character to do their very best for you to ensure that your claim is successful and that the compensation process is as stress free for you as possible.
We understand that this can be a stressful time, and we want to assure you that we are here to support you throughout the claims process. To find out more read our bus accident compensation case studies.
Contact Karina Goodall at Stacks Goudkamp on 1800 25 1800 to get immediate support in accessing your entitlements.
Karina Goodall is a Practice Group Leader and Director at Stacks Goudkamp specialising in motor vehicle accident claims and superannuation and TPD claims.
