New Orleans
Whether you were a rider, a driver in another vehicle, or a pedestrian struck by a bus, a crash involving a full-sized commercial or transit bus tends to cause serious injury, and the legal path forward depends heavily on who was operating that bus.
The Voorhies Law Firm sorts through that complexity so you don’t have to.
A bus accident claim can arise from a school bus, a charter or tour bus, a private commercial bus line, or a public transit bus operated by the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA).
Common injuries include:
Bus accident cases often involve more than one potentially responsible party, the driver, the bus company, a maintenance contractor, or a government transit authority.
This makes early investigation into exactly who was operating and maintaining the bus especially important.
Louisiana law treats bus accident liability differently depending on whether the bus was privately operated or run by a public transit authority, which makes these cases more nuanced.
This is where Louisiana diverges from the common assumption.
Louisiana’s Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal has held that a public transit authority is not treated as a common carrier for liability purposes.
For passengers, this means that an ordinary negligence standard, not the heightened common-carrier duty, applies to the RTA bus system.
Claims against the RTA also involve additional procedural requirements because they are deemed a public entity.
These include a specific set of notice-of-claim rules that don’t usually apply to other private defendants.
Charter buses, private tour operators, and commercial bus lines are generally treated as common carriers, which in most jurisdictions owe passengers a heightened duty of care, and is sometimes described as the highest degree of care a business can reasonably provide, rather than ordinary negligence.
For crashes on or after July 1, 2024, you generally have two years to file suit against a private bus operator under Civil Code article 3493.1.
Claims against a public entity like RTA may carry shorter, separate notice deadlines on top of the general prescriptive period, so acting quickly matters even more in those cases.
STEP 1
Free consultation.
Tell us which bus was involved and what happened. We’ll give you an honest, no-cost assessment.
STEP 2
Carrier identification.
We determine whether the bus was privately operated or run by a public transit authority, since that shapes the entire legal strategy.
STEP 4
Medical documentation.
We connect your treatment record to the crash.
STEP 5
Damage calculation.
We account for medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any ongoing care.
STEP 6
Demand and negotiation, or formal notice.
We pursue your claim through the appropriate channel, including any required notice procedure for a public entity.
STEP 7
Filing suit, if needed.
We file within whichever deadline applies to your specific defendant.
STEP 8
Resolution.
Your compensation comes through, whether by settlement or by verdict at trial.
We handle bus accident claims involving:
With every bus accident case we see, we encounter a person who trusted a driver, a company, or government transportation agency to get them where they needed to go, safely.
When that trust between a driver and a passenger is broken, we aim to hold whoever is responsible accountable for injuries or damages, whether it is a private company or public agency.
Across every practice area we handle, The Voorhies Law Firm has recovered over $100 million for our clients.
Results may vary, and every bus accident case depends on the specific carrier, evidence, and the facts involved in each unique situation.
Figuring out whether a private common-carrier standard or an ordinary negligence standard applies to your bus accident isn’t something a general practice attorney encounters often.
Richard P. Voorhies III and the team at The Voorhies Law Firm know how to identify the right defendant and the right legal theory from the beginning.
We’re recognized by Super Lawyers and other various legal organizations, but our clients care more about the direct access to their attorney that we provide, our hands-on approach, and paying nothing upfront.
We handle bus accident cases on contingency, so you can focus on what is necessary.
Yes, significantly. Private bus operators are generally held to a heightened common-carrier duty of care, while Louisiana courts have held that public transit authorities like RTA are held to an ordinary negligence standard instead, and claims against RTA carry their own procedural requirements.
The same carrier-identification question applies, since it affects the standard of care and any notice requirements, but you’re not limited by anything related to being a ‘passenger.’ An attorney can walk you through how it applies to your specific situation.
Faster than you might think. Claims against a public entity often carry separate notice-of-claim requirements on top of the general filing deadline, so it’s worth speaking with an attorney as soon as possible rather than waiting.
Generally two years for private carriers, under Civil Code article 3493.1, for incidents on or after July 1, 2024. Claims against a public entity may have additional, shorter notice deadlines.
Nothing upfront. We handle these cases on contingency, so payment only comes from what we recover for you.
