When you walk aboard a bus, request a rideshare, or travel through Houston on a charter bus, you trust that everyone involved will place your safety first.
Unfortunately, commercial transportation accidents can happen quickly, and when they happen, companies often place their own profits ahead of their passengers’ safety. Due to the nature of the vehicles, injuries sustained on public transportation are often very serious, involving broken bones, neck and spine injuries, or death.
Commercial transportation injury claims are often more complicated than ordinary car accident cases. These cases may involve large companies, government transit agencies, private contractors, app-based rideshare platforms, commercial insurance policies, surveillance footage, electronic records, driver logs, vehicle maintenance records, and strict legal deadlines.
Our team of Houston accident lawyers is ready to assist you if you or a family member has suffered injuries in a refinery, trucking, work accident or chemical exposure case. Don’t leave your recovery and livelihood to chance; you deserve compensation. Call us today and book your free and confidential consultation with an expert from our team. Get your compensation with The Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian™, attorneys who know how to deal with insurance companies.
A commercial transportation injury is any injury that occurs on or as a result of a commercial transport vehicle. These can include buses, trains, airplanes, taxis, rideshare services, ferries, and cruise liners.
The biggest seperators for commercial transport accidents are liability and diversity of accident type. While traditional accidents involve one or more personal vehicles on the road, the liability for the crash and resulting injuries usually falls to one or two parties.
However, because commercial transportation injuries are caused by vehicles or services that operate as part of a business, public agency, or paid transportation system, determining liability becomes much more complicated.
In addition, the sheer types of commercial transport — mass transit, air travel, ground transport vehicles and sea travel — mean that every case is extremely different from the last.
Determining liability after a commercial transportation accident can be complex because multiple parties are often involved in the operation, maintenance, and oversight of the vehicle. Unlike standard car accidents, these cases frequently involve corporations, government entities, contractors, and insurers, all of whom may share responsibility depending on the circumstances.
Liability is typically based on negligence, meaning a party failed to exercise reasonable care. However, in commercial transportation cases, this determination can extend to things like vicarious liability (holding an employer responsible for an employee’s actions) and regulatory violations. Below are the most common parties who may be held accountable depending on the type of transportation involved.
As a government entity, METRO may be liable for:
Generally, entities are responsible for the actions of their employees.
Individual drivers can be held liable if they:
Sometimes, the maintenance crew, driver, and driver’s company or organization do everything right, and the accident is caused by defective equipment.
However, assigning blame for defective parts is tricky. On the one hand, parts manufacturers have a duty to provide good, reliable equipment that does what it says on the box. On the other hand, companies have a duty to check their equipment and make sure it works as required.
Whether a rideshare company is held liable instead of their drivers depends on a variety of factors.
Even when you are injured as a passenger, another driver on the road may be fully or partially responsible for the accident. Negligent behavior such as speeding, distracted driving, failure to yield, or driving under the influence can cause collisions that place passengers at serious risk.
In many cases, liability may extend beyond just the driver themselves. If the at-fault driver was operating a company vehicle, working at the time of the crash, or using a commercial transportation platform, their employer or affiliated business may also share responsibility.
Cruise lines have a legal duty to provide a reasonably safe environment for passengers while onboard. If they do not take care of spills, warn passengers, or ensure a safe environment, cruise lines can be found liable for accidents sustained at sea.
Airline passengers rely on carriers to prioritize safety at every stage of travel, from boarding and taxiing to flight operations and deplaning.
Airline liability can arise from a wide range of incidents, but most often from failing to protect their travelers during takeoff or landing.
“Common Carrier” is a term assigned to any company that offers rides to the public (paid or free). It is significant because it imposes a heightened duty of care compared to ordinary drivers.
Higher standard of care:
Common carriers must exercise a “high degree of care”—meaning the level of caution that a very prudent and competent operator would use under similar circumstances.
This duty is stricter than the normal negligence standard (ordinary care) that applies to private individuals.
Texas law generally provides that a carrier’s duties and liabilities follow common-law principles, unless modified by statute
Carriers cannot easily limit their liability unless specific written conditions are met (e.g., in contracts or bills of lading).
The filing deadline against a government-held transport company like the Houston METRO is shorter than the typical 2-year statute of limitations for personal suits. When dealing with a government entity, the injured party has to provide something called the “notice of claim,” or a detailed explanation of what happened, and request for compensation. There are a few rules.
These rules also apply to school districts (ISDs) because they are also part of local government. So if you are struck by or hurt on a school bus, you must also file a claim within 6 months of the incident.
Commercial transportation accidents can cause a wide range of injuries.
Because buses, trains, shuttles, rideshare vehicles, and chartered buses often carry passengers who are seated without seatbelts, standing, boarding, exiting, or moving through the vehicle, even a sudden stop or low-speed impact can cause serious harm.
Some of the most common injuries include:
Passengers may strike their head against a window, seat, pole, door, floor, or another passenger during a crash or sudden stop. On flights and cruise lines, these accidents can also occur by being struck by unsecured luggage. These impacts can cause concussions, traumatic brain injuries, facial fractures, eye injuries, dental injuries, or deep cuts to the face and scalp.
Head injuries are especially concerning because symptoms may not appear immediately. A passenger may feel shaken at the scene, only to later develop headaches, dizziness, confusion, nausea, memory problems, or sensitivity to light.
The force of a commercial transportation accident can place significant stress on the neck, back, and spine. These injuries are common in bus crashes, rideshare collisions, shuttle accidents, and sudden-stop incidents. Spine injuries can also happen as a result of turbulance or during particularly rough landings.
Victims may suffer whiplash, herniated discs, pinched nerves, spinal cord trauma, lower back injuries, or chronic pain that affects their ability to work, drive, sleep, or perform daily activities. In severe cases, spinal injuries can cause weakness, numbness, mobility issues, or paralysis.
Commercial transportation passengers may be thrown forward, sideways, or onto the floor during an accident.
These injuries may include broken arms, legs, ribs, hips, wrists, ankles, shoulders, or collarbones. Some fractures require surgery, metal hardware, physical therapy, or extended time away from work.
Commercial transportation accidents can involve broken glass, twisted metal, fires, fuel leaks, unsafe exits, or passengers becoming trapped inside a vehicle. These conditions may lead to deep lacerations, burns, crush injuries, amputations, scarring, or other catastrophic trauma.
These injuries are more likely in high-speed crashes, rollovers, train collisions, multi-vehicle accidents, or incidents involving large commercial vehicles.
Not every serious injury is immediately visible. Commercial vehicle accidents can also cause damage to muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. These injuries may affect the shoulders, knees, hips, wrists, neck, or lower back.
Soft tissue injuries can be painful and limiting, especially when they interfere with walking, lifting, working, or caring for family members. In some cases, what first appears to be soreness may later be diagnosed as a torn ligament, rotator cuff injury, knee injury, or other serious condition.
Commercial transportation cases are often more complex than regular car crashes. Multiple insurance companies, government agencies, or private contractors may be involved, and each may try to shift blame to avoid financial responsibility.
If you were injured in a bus, rideshare, train or other type of commercial accident, know that you do not have to fight your case alone.
Hilda Sibrian has represented injury victims in negligence claims across Texas for over 22 years. If you or someone you love is seriously injured or has been killed as a result of a pipeline explosion, you need to call an experienced Houston attorney as soon as possible. The Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian serve all of Houston and Texas, including Sugar Land, Missouri City, La Porte, Beaumont, Pasadena, The Woodlands, The Heights, Bellaire, Kingwood, Baytown and of course Houston proper.
Call the Law Offices of Hilda Sibrian today for a free consultation, or fill out our online contact form.
