Orange County Bus Accident Lawyer

Last updated: October 2026 · Reviewed by Faud Haghighi, Esq., Founder & Lead Trial Attorney

How Can an Orange County Bus Accident Lawyer Help?

An Orange County bus accident lawyer holds bus operators to the high standard of care California requires of carriers, meets the six-month claim deadline that applies to public transit agencies and school districts, and pursues compensation for passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers hurt by a bus.

Bus cases differ from ordinary crashes in two important ways: bus companies and transit agencies owe passengers an especially high duty of care, and many buses are operated by public agencies with strict, short claim deadlines. The Law Offices of Faud Haghighi represents people injured in OCTA bus, school bus, charter, tour, and shuttle bus accidents throughout Orange County and Southern California from offices in Aliso Viejo and Tustin. Faud Haghighi’s practice includes claims against public agencies, and he handles each case personally.

What Duty Does a Bus Company Owe Its Passengers?

A carrier of passengers for payment must use the utmost care and diligence for their safe carriage (Civ. Code §2100), a higher standard than the ordinary care required of other drivers. That duty covers how the bus is driven, how passengers board and exit, and how the bus is maintained. Passengers are often hurt by:

• Sudden braking or sharp turns that throw standing or seated passengers
• The bus pulling away before a passenger is seated or holding on
• Doors closing on passengers, or falls while boarding and exiting
• Collisions caused by the bus driver’s speed, distraction, or fatigue
• Poorly maintained floors, steps, ramps, or wheelchair lifts

People outside the bus, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers, are owed ordinary care. Buses’ wide turns and large blind spots make crashes with pedestrians and cyclists especially dangerous. If a bus hit you while you were walking or riding, see pedestrian accident claims and bicycle accident claims.

Who Is Responsible for a Bus Accident?

It depends on who operates the bus: a public transit agency, a school district, or a private charter, tour, or shuttle company, and sometimes another driver, a maintenance contractor, or a manufacturer.

Another driver who caused the crash, a contractor who maintained the bus, or a manufacturer of a defective part can share responsibility. If the injured person was partly at fault, for example a pedestrian crossing mid-block, California’s comparative negligence rule reduces the award rather than barring it: $85,000 in losses with 25% fault still means a $63,750 recovery.

How Do You File a Claim Against OCTA or a School District?

Before you can sue a public agency, you must present a written claim to it, generally within six months of the accident; OCTA provides a Claim for Damage form for this purpose. The claim must describe the date, place, and circumstances of the accident and the injuries, and the agency then has a period to respond. If it rejects the claim in writing, a lawsuit generally must be filed within six months of the rejection (Gov. Code §945.6). Missing these deadlines can end the claim, so this is the first thing we address in a public bus case. The same government claim rules apply to dangerous conditions of public property, such as a broken bus stop or sidewalk.

What Should You Do After a Bus Accident?

Get medical care, report the incident to the driver and the operator, and record the bus details before you leave.

1. Get medical attention, even for injuries that seem minor.
2. Write down the bus number, route, time, and direction, and the driver’s name if possible.
3. Report the incident to the driver and ask that a report be made; call the police for a collision.
4. Get names and phone numbers of other passengers and witnesses.
5. Photograph the scene, the bus interior, and your injuries.
6. Ask a lawyer to request the bus’s video quickly. Many buses have onboard cameras, but footage may not be kept indefinitely.

Where Do Bus Accidents Happen in Orange County?

Bus accidents in Orange County often happen on the busy arterials OCTA routes follow, at bus stops where passengers cross the street, near schools, and around airports, hotels, and tourist areas served by shuttles. Examples include major boulevards such as Harbor, Beach, Bristol, and Westminster, the Anaheim Resort area with its visitor shuttles, John Wayne Airport, and Metrolink stations where buses and passengers converge.

What Compensation Is Available After a Bus Accident?

Injured passengers and others can recover medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and other losses, depending on the injuries and the evidence. Bus passengers are often older adults, students, or commuters standing without seat belts, and falls inside a bus can cause fractures, head injuries, and back injuries. A claim can include past and future medical care, lost wages and earning capacity, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. There is no reliable “average bus accident settlement”; value depends on the injuries, the bus video and other evidence, and whether a public agency’s deadlines were met. Read more about what affects the value of a personal injury case.

What Are the Deadlines for OCTA and Other Bus Accident Claims?

Six months for a written claim against a public agency such as OCTA or a school district, and generally two years to sue a private bus company.

This page explains California law in general terms as of October 2026. Laws change and exceptions apply, so it is not legal advice about your situation.

How Does Faud Haghighi Handle Claims Against Transit Agencies and Bus Companies?

Bus cases often require claims against public agencies, which have their own rules and immunities. Faud Haghighi has handled hundreds of cases, including claims against cities for dangerous conditions of public property, and has practiced law in California since 2012. He handles each case personally, files the required government claims on time, requests onboard video and maintenance records, and takes the case to the Orange County Superior Court when a fair resolution isn’t offered.

We represent bus accident victims throughout Orange County and Southern California, including Santa Ana, Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, and Tustin, as part of our Orange County personal injury practice. Crashes with other large commercial vehicles raise similar evidence issues; see truck accident claims, and for crashes with ordinary vehicles, car accident claims.

Hurt on or by a bus? Claims against OCTA and school districts are due in six months. Call (949) 313-7656 or request a free consultation. There is no attorney fee unless we recover for you.