There are much stricter guidelines in place for those filing lawsuits against a Texas governmental entity, including much shorter statutes of limitations. Buses that are government-run, such as the Harris County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, require those injured in a bus accident to file a claim within a certain time frame. The U.S. Government has enacted the Federal Tort Claims Act which waives immunity for a governmental entity and also allows an injured person to file a claim based on acts or omissions. Further requirements of the Federal Tort Claims Act include:

• The facts which support your claim of injury must be specific enough to allow the governmental entity the ability to conduct a proper investigation.
• The facts supporting your claim must include a specific amount for your damages, such as the total amount of your medical bills.
• The government has six months in which to rule on your claim.
• If the governmental entity admits fault, you will be compensated for your injury. The amount of compensation may be what you claimed as damages or could be only a portion of that amount.
• If your claim is denied, you may file a lawsuit for your injuries, but that lawsuit must be filed within two years of the denial.

A governmental entity could also be responsible for your bus accident if they were directly responsible for a hazardous highway or road condition which led to the accident. This could include any type of roadside hazard, line of sight obstructions, improperly marked construction zones, unreasonably dangerous railway crossing, or sharp pavement edge drops. If your injuries did not occur on a city bus, the Texas statute of limitations allows you two years from the date of your accident in which to file a claim.

There are many factors to consider whenever evaluating an accident case to determine cause and fault and it is essential to collect as much evidence as possible shortly after an accident to refute claims made by Metro that might contradict your version of events. The types and causes of Houston METRO bus accidents often include the following:

• Collisions With Other Vehicles— the force of an impact may throw passengers from their seats or off of their feet, causing harm due to falls or crashes with objects.
• Poorly Maintained Buses— critical components such as brakes and tires should be inspected and maintained to prevent accidents that occur when these devices fail to perform as intended. In the event of a crash, the service records of the bus that was involved should be examined to determine whether proper safety protocol was followed preceding the incident.
• Distracted or Fatigued Bus Driver— overworked bus drivers are increasingly more common as most are forced to work demanding schedules. Distractions and tiredness are both proven to slow reaction time and contribute to accidents and the state of the driver at the time of a crash must be evaluated when evaluating fault.