Claiming for passenger injuries following a public transport accident

Train accidents
Trains are one of the most cost-effective and convenient ways to travel in the UK today, especially for those going cross-country. Privatisation of the railway service has seen the advent of faster, more comfortable trains, making rail travel increasingly desirable to many.

Travelling by train allows business types the opportunity to work on their laptop computers and via their mobiles while commuting. It also allows those who have a further distance to travel at either end of their railway journey the opportunity to carry their bicycles onboard.

However, the UK has experienced some terrible rail accidents over the past 90 years, including the Selby rail disaster in 2001 and the Ladbroke Grove crash in 1999, where hundreds suffered serious passenger injuries and many died.

Most train accidents occur when trains are derailed or collide with other trains as a result of signal failure or careless driving. But in 2004 a passenger train hit a car at a level crossing and caused seven fatalities. This was the first level crossing accident resulting in fatal passenger injuries in Britain for 18 years.

Common passenger injuries as a result of train accidents include head injuries caused by falling luggage, crush injuries caused when the train crashes and burn injuries if the train catches alight. Read more about passenger injuries.

Bus accidents
Although most bus accidents occur abroad as a result of badly maintained road surfaces, poor lighting and adverse weather conditions, they are not unheard of in the UK.

Buses are a common mode of transport for those travelling to work and school and London buses alone carry almost 5.5 million passengers every day. While buses help to cut down traffic congestion caused by cars during the rush hour periods, the quantity of passengers per bus means that any potential vehicle accident involving a bus usually results in numerous passenger injuries.

A law was passed that all buses first used on or after October 1st 2001 must be installed with seatbelts by their manufacturer. However, this law is focussed on those travelling long distances and excludes buses used in urban areas with standing passengers.

This puts those that travel on urban bus services, especially children, at an increased risk of sustaining passenger injuries. Because while seat belts must be fitted in coaches and minibuses used for organised school trips, buses designed for regular urban services are usually used to transport children from home to school and are not fitted with seatbelts.

We receive claims for a whole range of personal injuries including whiplash injuries, head injuries and leg injuries suffered by bus passengers who were not restrained properly at the time of a road accident and were thrown around inside a bus.

Making a compensation claim for passenger injuries
If you or someone close to you has sustained passenger injuries while travelling on a train or bus then it is likely that you can make a no win no fee personal injury claim.

Either the party that caused the accident or the company that you were travelling with at the time of the accident will be liable for your injuries and there is a good chance that a claim made through a reputable personal injury specialist, such as ourselves, will be a success.

Public transport passengers are protected by the law and are permitted to pursue claims against a bus or train company where a driver has been negligent or there has been a breach of statutory duty against the "Public Service Vehicles (conduct of drivers, inspectors, conductors and passengers) Regulations 1990."

In order to find out more or to pursue a claim for passenger injuries today fill out one of our online claim forms and we will get back to you. Alternatively, you can call 0800 10 757 95 and speak to one of our friendly and experienced claims team.