Texas Bus Accident Lawyer
Bus crash claims run on shorter deadlines and stricter rules than car wrecks. We move fast to protect yours.
See What Your Case Is Worth
Tell us what happened. An attorney will call you back, usually within the hour.
No fee unless we win · Confidential · Se habla español
You've Seen Us On
A bus accident claim in Texas starts with one question: who runs the bus? If it is DART, Trinity Metro, Houston METRO, a city, or a school district, your claim is against the government. Government claims come with a written notice deadline of six months or less and damage caps as low as $100,000 per person. If it is a charter company, an intercity line like Greyhound, or a private shuttle, you are dealing with a commercial carrier that owes its passengers a high degree of care, and may carry millions in insurance. The rules, the deadlines, and the value of the case all change with that one answer.
Varghese Summersett handles bus accident cases across Texas. We were founded by former prosecutors, and we investigate a bus crash the way a prosecutor builds a case: we lock down the video, the driver records, and the maintenance history before they disappear.
Meet your Texas injury attorneys.
- Leads the firm’s Fort Worth personal injury practice
- Super Lawyers Rising Star (2025)
- Fort Worth Inc. 40 Under 40 (2025)
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation (2024)
- Former prosecutor & former insurance-defense attorney
- Multiple seven-figure verdicts & settlements
- Trucking, oilfield, industrial & TBI cases
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers (2024, 2025)
- Founder of Varghese Summersett
- Former insurance adjuster before law school
- Tried 100+ cases before Texas juries
- Named a Super Lawyer for over a decade
- Texas Tech University School of Law
- Outstanding Brief Award, Duberstein National Moot Court
- Certified Mediator
- Began at the firm in client relations
Who Runs the Bus Decides Your Case
Most people never think about who owns the bus they ride or the bus that hit them. In a Texas injury claim, it is the first thing a lawyer needs to know.
| Type of bus | Examples | Claim is against | Deadline to give notice | Damage limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public transit | DART, Trinity Metro, Houston METRO, DCTA | The transit authority (a government unit) | No more than 6 months | $100,000 per person, $300,000 per crash |
| City-run buses | Buses run directly by a city department | The city | No more than 6 months, often shorter under the city charter | $250,000 per person, $500,000 per crash |
| School buses | ISD-operated buses | The school district | No more than 6 months | $100,000 per person, $300,000 per crash |
| Charter and intercity | Greyhound, FlixBus, tour and charter coaches | The bus company, its driver, and others at fault | No notice requirement; 2 years to sue | No statutory cap; federal minimum insurance of $5 million on interstate buses with 16 or more seats |
| Private shuttles | Hotel, airport, apartment, employer, and church buses | The owner, operator, and driver | No notice requirement; 2 years to sue | No statutory cap; limited to available insurance and assets |
A school bus run by a private contractor instead of the district, or a transit route run by a private company under contract, can change these answers. That is one of the first things we check.
Claims Against DART, Trinity Metro, Houston METRO, and Other Government Buses
Government agencies are normally immune from lawsuits. The Texas Tort Claims Act carves out an exception for injuries caused by a government employee’s negligent operation of a motor vehicle (Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 101.021). That exception is what allows you to bring a claim when a transit or school bus driver causes a crash. It comes with three conditions that do not exist in an ordinary car wreck case.
The Notice Deadline
You must give the government written notice of your claim within six months of the crash, describing the injury, when and where it happened, and how (§ 101.101). Cities can set shorter deadlines in their charters. Miss the deadline and the claim can be barred, no matter how badly you were hurt. There is a narrow exception when the agency already had actual knowledge of the injury, but it is not something to rely on.
The Damage Caps
Under § 101.023, a local government unit such as a transit authority or school district is liable for no more than $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence for injury or death. Cities and the State are capped at $250,000 per person and $500,000 per occurrence. Punitive damages are not available against the government at all (§ 101.024).
Those caps can be tighter than they look. In Fort Worth Transportation Authority v. Rodriguez, 547 S.W.3d 830 (Tex. 2018), a woman was struck and killed by a Fort Worth transit bus. Her daughter sued the transit authority and the two private companies it had hired to run the buses. The Supreme Court of Texas held that because the contractors were performing the authority’s governmental functions, a single $100,000 cap applied to all three combined, not $100,000 from each.
Why the Rest of the Crash Matters More
Because the government’s share is capped, the most important work in a public bus case is often finding everyone else who contributed: another driver who cut off the bus, a private contractor that maintained the brakes, or a manufacturer whose part failed. Those parties are not protected by the caps. A bus crash with serious injuries and only a capped government claim is a case where the investigation decides the outcome.
Charter Buses, Greyhound, and Private Bus Companies
Private companies that carry passengers for pay are common carriers under Texas law, and they owe their passengers more than ordinary care. Texas courts hold them to the care “that would be exercised by a very cautious and prudent person under the same or similar circumstances,” a standard the Supreme Court of Texas restated in Speed Boat Leasing, Inc. v. Elmer, 124 S.W.3d 210 (Tex. 2003).
Interstate for-hire passenger carriers must also carry minimum insurance under federal rules: $5 million for vehicles seating 16 or more passengers and $1.5 million for smaller vehicles (49 C.F.R. § 387.33). They must follow federal rules on driver qualification, hours of service, drug and alcohol testing, and vehicle inspection. A violation of those rules is often the clearest proof of what went wrong.
Private shuttles are a different story. Hotel, apartment, airport parking, employer, and church vans often carry far less coverage, and figuring out whose insurance applies (the owner’s, the operator’s, or the driver’s) takes real work.
School Bus Accidents
When a school bus is involved, parents are usually dealing with two systems at once: the school district and the insurance claim. District-operated buses fall under the Tort Claims Act, with its six-month notice and $100,000 per person limit. In most cases, the bus driver personally is dismissed and the claim proceeds against the district. A bus run by a private contractor is handled like any other commercial carrier.
Children’s claims have one advantage: the two-year deadline to file suit generally does not start running until the child turns 18. The government notice deadline, however, does not wait. For a closer look at how these claims work, read who is liable when a child is hit by a school bus in Texas.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Bus Accident?
Bus crashes often involve more than one responsible party. Depending on the facts, a claim may be brought against:
- The bus operator, whether a transit authority, school district, or private company, for its driver’s negligence.
- The bus company itself for negligent hiring, training, supervision, scheduling, or maintenance.
- A private contractor that operates or maintains the buses for a government agency.
- Another driver who caused or contributed to the crash.
- A manufacturer or parts supplier if a defective tire, brake, door, or other component played a role.
- A property owner or government entity responsible for a dangerous bus stop, road condition, or missing signal.
To recover, you must prove the elements of negligence (duty, breach, causation, and damages) by a preponderance of the evidence. Under Texas modified comparative fault (§ 33.001), you can recover as long as you are not more than 50 percent responsible, with your damages reduced by your share. Passengers on a bus are rarely found at fault for anything.
Evidence That Disappears Fast in a Bus Crash
Buses generate more evidence than almost any other vehicle on the road. Much of it is recorded over or discarded on a routine schedule unless someone demands that it be kept.
- Onboard and exterior video. Most transit and many school and charter buses record from several cameras at once.
- Event and engine data. Speed, braking, and throttle in the seconds before impact.
- Dispatch and GPS records. Where the bus was, how far behind schedule it ran, and what the driver was told.
- Driver files. Training, prior incidents, discipline, drug and alcohol tests, and hours worked.
- Maintenance and inspection records. Brake, tire, and door repairs, and any defects reported and left unfixed.
- Passenger and witness information. Other riders scatter quickly, and transit agencies do not always collect their names.
We send preservation letters immediately and, for public agencies, use the Texas Public Information Act alongside the claim process to get the records that matter.
What Should You Do After a Bus Accident?
- Get medical care. Bus passengers usually have no seat belts and can be thrown into seats, poles, and the floor. Get checked even if you feel fine.
- Report the crash and get the report number. Ask the driver or the responding officer for the bus number, route, and the agency or company name.
- Photograph everything. The bus, its number, the scene, your injuries, and where you were sitting or standing.
- Collect names. Other passengers and bystanders are often the best witnesses, and they disappear fastest.
- Do not give a recorded statement. Transit agencies and bus companies have claims adjusters who call quickly. You are not required to talk to them.
- Calendar six months from the crash date. If a government bus was involved, written notice must be given before then.
- Talk to a lawyer early. The notice deadline and the evidence problem both reward speed.
Common Injuries in Bus Accidents
Bus passengers ride unrestrained, often standing, and a sudden stop can throw them with real force. People struck by a bus, whether in another car, on a bike, or on foot, face a vehicle that weighs well over ten tons. Common injuries include broken bones, head and brain injuries, back and neck injuries, and in the worst crashes, spinal cord injuries and death. Our guide to common car accident injuries covers the warning signs that show up days later. When a bus crash takes a life, the family’s claim is handled as a wrongful death case, and the same government notice rules apply.
Compensation After a Bus Accident
An injured person can recover economic damages, such as past and future medical expenses and lost earnings, and non-economic damages for physical pain, mental anguish, physical impairment, and disfigurement. Against a private carrier, punitive damages may be available where the company acted with gross negligence, such as knowingly putting an unsafe driver or bus on the road. Against a government agency, recovery is limited by the caps described above and punitive damages are not allowed. Every claim has its own value, and no lawyer can honestly promise a number at the start.
Real Results in Commercial Vehicle Cases
Bus companies and trucking companies answer to many of the same federal safety rules, and we build those cases the same way: by proving what the company knew and allowed. Two recent firm results:
- A retired man killed by a commercial truck backing across a road at night without proper lighting. The driver was later criminally charged. The family received $2,317,515.82.
- A family hit by an 18-wheeler whose carrier had a record of safety violations. The driver had a history of roughly ten prior crashes and no valid medical certificate. Our clients received $302,055.14.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
Why Choose Varghese Summersett for a Bus Accident Case
Bus cases are won early. The deadlines are short, the evidence is held by the other side, and the government claim process punishes anyone who treats it like an ordinary insurance claim. Our injury team includes lawyers who have worked for insurance companies and lawyers who have prosecuted cases, so we know how claims are evaluated and how evidence holds up in front of a jury. We take bus cases across Texas. Fort Worth, Dallas, Southlake, and Houston are the markets we work in most, and we take cases statewide. If your crash happened in Tarrant County, see our Fort Worth bus accident lawyer page. For Dallas County, see our Dallas bus accident lawyer page.
You pay nothing unless we recover for you. Call 817-203-2220 or use the form at the top of this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue DART, Trinity Metro, or Houston METRO after a bus accident?
Yes, if the crash was caused by the driver’s negligent operation of the bus. These transit authorities are government units, so the Texas Tort Claims Act applies. You must give written notice within six months, and the authority’s liability is capped at $100,000 per person and $300,000 per occurrence.
How long do I have to file a bus accident claim in Texas?
For a government bus, written notice is due within six months of the crash, and sometimes sooner under a city charter. The deadline to file a lawsuit is generally two years for any bus crash, government or private. For a child, the two-year lawsuit deadline usually starts at age 18, but the six-month government notice deadline does not.
Who pays when a school bus hits my child?
If the school district runs the bus, the claim goes against the district under the Tort Claims Act, up to $100,000 for your child’s injuries. If a private contractor runs it, the contractor and its insurer are responsible without that cap. Other drivers who contributed to the crash may also be responsible.
I was a passenger on the bus. Can I still make a claim?
Yes. Passengers are almost never at fault, and a bus company that carries paying passengers owes them a high degree of care. You may have claims against the bus operator, another driver, or both.
How much is a bus accident claim worth?
It depends on the injuries, the medical treatment, lost income, and long-term effects, and on who is responsible. A claim limited to a transit authority is capped by law. A claim against a private carrier, or one that adds another responsible party, is not. We can give you an honest assessment once we know the facts.
Do I need to report a bus accident?
Yes. Report it to police and get the report number, and make sure the bus operator has a record of the incident. Reporting to the bus company or transit agency is not the same as the formal written notice the Tort Claims Act requires, so do not assume a phone call to a claims line protects your claim.
Talk to us in person.
Varghese Summersett — Fort Worth
One City Place Building, 300 Throckmorton Street, Suite 700, Fort Worth, TX 76102
We take bus accident cases across Texas. If a government bus was involved, written notice is usually due within six months, so call as soon as you can.