Taking a coach trip in Scotland can be a wonderful experience and coach trips which travel out of Scotland are often a cheap way to get around the UK and Europe. Some coach operators also arrange trips to events such as concerts and sporting fixtures, while day trips to places of interest are also popular.
Thankfully, travelling by bus and coach is relatively safer than other modes of transport (cars, motorcycles and bicycles) in terms of road traffic accident statistics (injuries and fatalities as a result of road collisions), but there are other types of injuries which can occur on buses and coaches.
Trips and slips can occur as people move around the interior of a coach, and if seats, steps doors etc are faulty these can also cause accidents. Also, if you are using a coach station, you may have an accident while using a coach operator's facilities and this, ultimately, is part of your coach trip.
Who do I claim against if I am injured in a bus or coach accident?
This can sometimes be difficult to ascertain, particularly if you are travelling with a coach operator but the accident occurs while you were not actually on the coach. If the coach operator has a duty of care to you in some way at the time of the accident, then it is the coach operator who may be deemed liable or at least partially liable.
Generally, if you are injured while on a coach or while in premises owned by the coach operator then your claim will be against the coach company. If you are injured at the destination you are visiting, your claim may be entirely against the owners of the attraction. However, if the coach operator could foresee a risk or hazard, perhaps extreme weather would make visiting the seaside dangerous, and they continue with the trip when they perhaps should have cancelled, they might also be held liable.
Each personal injury claim is unique and you will need an experienced personal injury solicitor to help you make a claim for compensation.
What types of coach accident can I claim for?
The types of injury and accident caused during coach travel are numerous, but the following are some of the most common:
- coach passenger whiplash
- slips, trips and falls, on a coach or at coach operator premises
- road traffic accidents caused by coach driver negligence
- road traffic accidents caused by a third party driver
- coach crashes caused by a lack of coach maintenance
- coach crashes caused by a lack of road maintenance
- claims for injuries caused by an emergency stop
Find out more about bus accidents in Scotland.
What are the pieces of law that protect me when travelling by coach
The main pieces of legislation covering coach travel are:
- The Road Transport Operator Regulations 2011
- Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981
- The Public Service Vehicles (Operator's Licences) Regulations 1995
- The Rights of Passengers in Bus and Coach Transport (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Can I make a No Win No Fee claim for coach accident compensation
When you come to Thompsons Solicitors in Scotland following a coach trip accident, if we take your case on we are likely to be able to fund your claim on a No Win No Fee basis.
This means, if we don't win your case you can walk away and you won't need to pay us a penny; so you are protected from financial risk if your claim is not successful.
We win more than 90% of the claims we take on and if your case is successful, you pay us an agreed, capped percentage from your full financial settlement. Find out more about Thompsons No Win No Fee package here. We always discuss the funding of your claim with you in full before you make a decision whether or not to go ahead and, in all cases, we strive to keep our costs and fees as low as possible.
I have suffered life-changing injuries in a coach accident, can Thompsons help me?
Some coach crashes cause catastrophic injuries for passengers and staff, and sometimes there are fatalities.
If you or a loved one has been injured in such a way or died as a result of a coach crash, Thompsons expert solicitors for complex claims can help you.
Contact Thompsons to make a coach trip accident claim
Talk to Thompsons today on 0800 0891 331 or fill in our online claim form so that we may call you back.
