After a bus crash, the questions tend to come faster than the answers. Who pays your medical bills? How will you cover lost wages? Can you really take on a transit authority like SMART? Our Southfield bus accident lawyers at Christensen Law answer those questions with honesty and heart, then fight for everything your recovery requires.
Since 1991, we have stood beside injured people across Southfield, Oakland County, and all of Michigan. We take on transit authorities, insurance companies, and negligent drivers who try to minimize what happened to you. Call Christensen Law 24/7 at (248) 600-4591 for a free, no-risk consultation.
CHRISTENSEN LAW HAS A 24 HOUR RAPID RESPONSE SERVICE
Our Southfield Bus Accident Lawyers Are Ready to Fight for You
When a bus injures you or someone you love, you need a legal team with a real trial record, not a settlement mill that treats you like a file number. At Christensen Law, we prepare every case as if it will go before a jury, which is how we have secured results like a $17.8 million motor vehicle verdict and a $9.5 million recovery for the people we represent.
Firm founder David Christensen is a Michigan Hall of Fame trial attorney, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), and holds AV Preeminent status from Martindale-Hubbell. Managing partner Sarah Stempky-Kime is a recognized Leader in the Law and also an ABOTA member. Together, they lead a team with more than three decades of courtroom experience and a 4.9 to 5.0 review rating across our Michigan offices.
We also know that strong cases are built on the client’s own story and the other side’s conduct. As Sarah puts it, we like to let the treatment team do the talking, and we love to let the defendants dig their own hole. That approach keeps the focus where it belongs, on your recovery and on holding the responsible parties accountable.
This is the heart of our Listen, Protect, Win approach. Our Southfield personal injury team is ready to review your crash, explain your options in plain language, and take the pressure off your family. Call us at (248) 600-4591 to talk today.
What Types of Bus Accidents Happen in Southfield?
Southfield sees several kinds of bus crashes, from public transit collisions to charter coach and school bus wrecks, and each one follows different rules. As a regional employment hub at the crossroads of Telegraph Road, Northwestern Highway, and the Lodge Freeway, the city carries heavy commuter and transit traffic every day.
Most public bus service here runs through SMART, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, which connects Southfield to Detroit and the wider Oakland County suburbs.
A crash can happen when a bus rear-ends stopped traffic near the Southfield Town Center towers, when a rider is thrown during a sudden stop, or when someone is struck while crossing along Greenfield or Twelve Mile roads.
Many riders here are commuters heading to offices along the Northwestern Highway corridor or students traveling to Lawrence Technological University. When a crash sends someone to Ascension Providence Hospital’s Southfield campus, the medical bills can pile up fast. That reality is what makes an early, well-documented No-Fault claim so important.
Common bus crash situations we handle include:
- SMART transit bus collisions with cars, cyclists, or fixed objects
- Passengers injured by sudden braking, sharp turns, or falls while boarding
- Charter and tour coach crashes on I-696 or the Southfield Freeway (M-39)
- School bus wrecks involving students, drivers, or nearby vehicles
- Pedestrians and bicyclists struck by a bus near transit stops
No matter which situation applies to you, the details of how and where the crash happened will shape who pays and how much your claim is worth. Our team investigates each of these scenarios with the care a serious injury demands.
Who Is Liable in a Southfield Bus Crash?
Liability in a Southfield bus crash depends on who owned and operated the bus, because public and private carriers are held to very different rules. Sorting this out early is one of the most important steps in protecting your claim.
Buses are treated as common carriers, which means they owe passengers a high duty of care to operate safely. When a private company owns the bus, you can usually pursue a standard negligence claim against the driver and the company that employed them.
Public transit is more complicated. Agencies like SMART, along with school districts, are government entities that are generally protected by governmental immunity under Michigan’s Governmental Tort Liability Act.
Michigan law does provide a key exception, because the motor vehicle exception under MCL 691.1405 allows injury claims when a government employee negligently operates a government-owned vehicle.
Some school districts and cities also outsource routes to private bus companies, which can change who you file against and which deadlines apply. Part of our early work is confirming exactly which entity owned and operated the bus that hurt you.
Several parties may share responsibility for a single crash, including:
- The bus driver, for negligent, distracted, or reckless operation
- The transit authority or private bus company that employed the driver
- A third-party motorist who caused or contributed to the collision
- A maintenance contractor, if a mechanical failure played a role
Because more than one party can be at fault, identifying every responsible entity is essential to recovering everything you are owed. If another vehicle was involved, our Southfield car accident lawyers can pursue that part of your claim as well.
How Michigan No-Fault Law Covers Bus Injury Claims
Under Michigan’s No-Fault system, your own auto insurance usually pays first for medical bills and lost wages after a bus injury, no matter who caused the crash. These benefits are called Personal Injury Protection, or PIP, and they form the foundation of most Michigan bus accident claims.
Who pays your PIP depends on how you were hurt. If you were a passenger on most buses, MCL 500.3114 can point you to the insurer of the vehicle, but SMART and school buses fall under special rules. In those cases, you often look first to your own policy, then a spouse or resident relative’s coverage, and then the transit authority or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan.
If you were walking or biking when a bus struck you, MCL 500.3115 sends you first to your own No-Fault policy, then to a spouse or resident relative’s coverage, and finally to the Assigned Claims Plan if no other policy applies. The simpler idea that the bus company’s insurer just pays is an oversimplification that can cost you benefits if you rely on it.
PIP does not cover everything, though. To recover money for pain and suffering, you must bring a separate third-party claim and show a serious impairment of body function under MCL 500.3135, a threshold our trial team knows how to prove. We handle both sides of your claim so nothing falls through the cracks.
What Deadlines Apply to a SMART Bus Injury Claim?
If your injury involves SMART or another regional transit authority, one deadline stands above the rest, because you generally have only 60 days from the crash to serve written notice of your claim. This rule comes from Michigan’s bus notice provision at MCL 124.419, and missing it can end an otherwise strong case.
cSixty days is a short window, and it is easy to lose while you are still in the hospital or focused on healing. That is why reaching a lawyer quickly after a SMART crash matters so much.
Other deadlines apply as well. You generally have one year to file your application for No-Fault benefits under MCL 500.3145, and Michigan’s modified comparative fault rule in MCL 600.2959 can reduce or bar pain-and-suffering money if you are found more than 50% at fault.
A few buses are owned by the State of Michigan, such as certain university or non-urbanized transit vehicles, and those claims run through the Court of Claims on a different timeline. We identify which set of rules applies to your crash from the very start.
Key time limits to keep in mind include:
- 60 days to serve written notice on SMART or another transit authority
- One year to apply for No-Fault PIP medical and wage-loss benefits
- Three years, in most cases, to file a third-party injury lawsuit
Because these clocks start the day of the crash, the sooner we get involved, the more of your rights we can protect. Let us track every deadline so you can focus on getting better.
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Why Injured Riders Across Oakland County Turn to Us
Injured riders across Oakland County choose our Southfield bus injury attorneys because we combine genuine compassion with a fierce, trial-tested approach. We treat every client like family, and we treat every insurance company like an opponent that must be held accountable.
What sets our team apart:
- More than three decades fighting for Michigan injury victims since 1991
- A trial record that includes a $17.8 million verdict and multiple multimillion-dollar recoveries
- Hall of Fame and ABOTA credentials led by David Christensen and Sarah Stempky-Kime
- Free consultations 24/7, with no fee unless we win your case
- A 4.9 to 5.0 review rating across our Michigan offices
We do not run our practice on volume, and we never push you toward a quick, lowball settlement. Instead, we invest the time and resources your case needs to reach its full value, including a thorough investigation and, when necessary, a courtroom fight.
Our Southfield bus accident lawyers are ready to listen to your story and protect what matters most. Call Christensen Law at (248) 600-4591 for a free consultation today.
FAQs Answered by a Southfield Bus Accident Attorney
Below are answers to some of the questions we hear most often from injured bus riders and their families in Southfield and across Oakland County.
Nothing upfront. We handle bus injury cases on a contingency fee, which means you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you. Your first consultation is always free, and we advance the costs of building your case so you can focus on healing.
Be careful before you give any recorded statement or sign anything. Insurance adjusters may sound friendly, yet their goal is often to reduce or deny your claim under Michigan’s No-Fault system. You have the right to speak with a lawyer first, and we are glad to deal with the insurer on your behalf.
Often, yes. Michigan follows a modified comparative fault rule, so you can still recover damages as long as you are not more than 50% responsible. Your compensation may be reduced by your share of fault, which is one more reason to have a trial team present your side clearly.
It depends on your losses. No-Fault PIP benefits can cover medical care, a portion of lost wages, and certain replacement services. A third-party claim may add money for pain and suffering, disfigurement, and other harms when your injuries meet Michigan’s serious impairment threshold.
Both the transit authority and, ideally, your own legal team. SMART typically investigates on its own and prepares a report, which is one reason to move quickly. We gather video, driver records, maintenance logs, and witness statements before that evidence disappears.
Every case is different. Some claims resolve in a few months, while cases that require a lawsuit can take a year or more, especially against a government agency. We keep you informed at every step so you are never left wondering where your claim stands.
Possibly. You do not need to see major damage to the bus to have a real injury, because a hard stop or a sharp turn can cause serious harm even in a low-impact event. What matters is the nature of your injuries and the medical evidence connecting them to the crash.
Talk With Our Southfield Bus Accident Lawyers Today
You do not have to face a bus injury claim alone, and you should not have to fight the insurance companies while you are trying to heal. Our Southfield bus accident lawyers are ready to listen to your story, protect your rights, and pursue the justice and resources your recovery requires.
Time is limited, especially when a transit authority like SMART is involved, so please reach out as soon as you can. Serving all of Michigan, from the D to the UP, Christensen Law is here for you 24/7. Call us at (248) 600-4591 for your free, no-risk consultation today.
