Your child got on a bus that morning like any other, and then you got the call. Your child was in a bus wreck. At The Texas Law Dog, we represent families, passengers, drivers, and people struck by school buses in Rockwall. Our team bites back when a district or contractor tries to close ranks after a crash.
A school bus accident lawyer in Rockwall can find out what happened while you take care of your family. Our bus accident lawyer in Rockwall team knows how these claims work and how quickly they have to be filed. Call us for a free consultation when you are ready.
Suing a School District is Not Like Suing a Driver
Texas school districts have governmental immunity, which means they cannot be sued the way a private company can. There is a narrow exception, and it is the one that matters here.
The Texas Tort Claims Act waives that immunity for injuries caused by a district employee’s operation or use of a motor vehicle. A bus crash caused by driver error usually falls inside that opening, while a claim about supervision or policy often does not.
Where the exception applies, recovery against a school district is capped by statute. This is currently $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence for bodily injury. Our Rockwall personal injury lawyer team looks for additional defendants when those limits fall short of what a child actually needs.
The Notice Deadline That Ends Cases Early
A claim against a governmental unit requires written notice within six months of the incident under the Tort Claims Act. Miss it, and the case can be dismissed no matter how clear the fault is.
Six months is the outside limit, not the rule everywhere. Some cities and districts impose shorter notice periods through charters or local policy, and those shorter windows are enforceable.
The notice also has to say the right things: the damage claimed, the injury, and the time, manner, and place of the incident. Getting it filed correctly and on time is the first job a school bus accident attorney in Rockwall has.
Rockwall School Bus Accident Lawyer Near Me (817) 775-5364
Who a Rockwall School Bus Accident Lawyer May Hold Responsible
Districts do not always run their own transportation. Many contract it out, and a private contractor has no governmental immunity and no statutory damage cap.
Other drivers cause a large share of these crashes. Running a stopped bus’s extended stop arm is illegal in Texas, and the driver who does it carries ordinary auto liability insurance with no cap on damages.
Responsibility may also reach a maintenance contractor that missed a brake defect or a manufacturer that sold a defective part. Each additional party may bring another insurance policy into the case.
Where Children Actually Get Hurt
The riskiest moments are not always on the road. Children are frequently injured in the area immediately around the bus during loading and unloading, where the driver’s sightlines are worst.
Injuries we see in these cases include:
- Head trauma and concussions
- Broken bones and facial injuries
- Spinal and neck injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Lasting anxiety and fear of riding the bus
Children also show injuries differently than adults do. A young child may not describe a headache, dizziness, or blurred vision clearly, so watch for changes in sleep, mood, appetite, or schoolwork in the weeks after a crash.
Seat Belts on Texas School Buses
Texas law requires three-point seat belts on school buses purchased after September 2017. The requirement comes with an exception that surprises families.
A district board can vote to opt out by publicly determining that its budget cannot cover the cost. Many older buses in service today have no belts at all, and there is no requirement to retrofit them.
That matters to your claim. Where children were thrown from seats, whether restraints existed, whether they were used, and what the district decided about belts can all become part of the case.
Steps to Take After a School Bus Crash
Get medical attention first, for you or for your child, even when nothing looks serious. Concussions and internal injuries often stay quiet for a day or two.
Then protect what you can:
- Make sure law enforcement documents the crash
- Photograph the vehicles, the scene, and any visible injuries
- Write down names of other parents, students, and bystanders
- Keep every letter, email, and form from the district
- Decline recorded statements until you have legal advice
Save the district’s communications in particular. Incident reports, nurse notes, and transportation emails often contain admissions that never appear in the police report. All of this information will be helpful to your Rockwall school bus accident lawyer.
How We Investigate These Claims
We start by establishing who actually operated the bus, because that answer determines which deadlines and which caps apply to your case. Public district and private contractor are two different cases.
From there, we pursue onboard video, driver qualification and training files, maintenance and inspection histories, dispatch and GPS records, and the route the bus was assigned to run.
We also request the driver’s history. Prior complaints, past incidents, licensing problems, and training gaps can turn a single crash into evidence of a pattern the district should have addressed.
Deadlines in a Rockwall School Bus Accident Claim
Texas generally gives two years to file an injury lawsuit. For a child, that clock is usually paused until the child turns 18, which gives an injured minor a longer runway than an adult would have.
That extra time does not help with government notice. The six-month notice requirement can still apply, and it can extinguish a child’s claim against a district long before the child is old enough to file one.
A school bus accident lawyer in Rockwall can sort out which deadlines govern your situation. Where a district, a contractor, and another driver are all involved, more than one timeline may be running at once.
Talk With The Texas Law Dog About What Happened
You should be focused on your child’s recovery, not on notice deadlines and immunity rules. We handle the investigation, the paperwork, and the insurance carriers so your family does not have to.
You pay us nothing unless we recover money for you. To speak with a school bus accident lawyer in Rockwall, contact The Texas Law Dog today for a free consultation.
