Wheelchair Transport Van Accidents

If you or a loved one uses a wheelchair, you rely on special transport vans to travel from your home or nursing facility to doctor’s appointments and other locations. If the van collides with another object or vehicle, you or your family member may be left with painful injuries.

A wheelchair transport van accident lawyer in Denver from our law office can help you after a paratransit accident. Call Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, at (303) 543-1000 to find out how we can assist you with your case. The initial assessment is completely free.

The process of filing a personal injury case can be long and arduous. It can seem even more difficult if you and your family are still recovering from the accident that has caused you to consider taking legal action in the first place.

The team at Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, wants you to know that you are not alone. We want to see your family through this crisis by making the legal system as accessible as possible. This means:

• We can come visit you at home, at a nursing facility, or in the hospital. This way, you do not have to worry about transporting your injured loved one to our office or leaving them by themselves.
• We take care of every single legal task, from the big jobs like speaking in court to the “little” jobs like filing paperwork.
• We investigate each case with all of the care and attention to detail it deserves. Our team works hard to get to the truth of each accident and to build the strongest possible case file in support of our client’s claims.
• We are always happy to answer clients’ questions regarding their case, the legal process, or important decisions that have to be made about their case’s future.
• We fight hard for every penny our clients need. Whether in the courtroom or at the negotiating table, we do not back down from insurance companies who try to dig their heels in and offer lowball settlements.
• We charge nothing for our initial case reviews, nor do we charge upfront attorney’s fees. You only pay our fee once we recover compensation for you.

We know how frightening and stressful it is to navigate the legal process on your own. Our wheelchair transport van accident lawyers in Denver can guide you through the entire process so you do not have to face any task or decision alone.

After an accident, your family could receive compensation if you meet the following criteria:

• The accident occurred because someone else behaved recklessly or negligently
• The at-fault party had a duty to behave carefully, but they chose not to do so
• The accident directly and/or indirectly caused your loved one’s injuries and financial losses
• In most van crashes, you must resolve your case within three years of the accident, which is the statute of limitations defined at CO Rev Stat § 13-80-101
• In cases involving a governmental entity, however, you must provide a special notice pursuant Colorado’s “Governmental Immunity Act,” and this notice must be provided to the proper governmental entity within 182 days of the crash. If you fail to provide a “GIA Notice” within this timeframe, you will lose your right to pursue your claim.
• Special attention must be given to whether your crash involves a governmental entity, as the van itself might be owned or operated by a governmental entity, or the other vehicle that caused the crash may be owned or operated by a governmental entity.
• If you suspect your van accident might involve the government, we encourage you to speak with an experienced attorney.

One of our wheelchair transport van accident lawyers can also explain which damages you could recover. We can help you pursue compensation for:

• Pain and suffering: You or your loved one may have suffered physically because of the accident. You may ask for compensation for this unnecessary and devastating pain.
• Reduced quality of life: Permanent injuries and lasting trauma could continue to affect you or your loved one for years to come. For instance, they may need additional help getting dressed, or they may be unable to engage in fun activities.
• Disability: Your loved one was disabled prior to the accident. However, you can sue if their disability worsened or if they were diagnosed with a new condition because of the crash.
• Medical expenses: Treating accident injuries can get expensive, especially if an existing condition was made worse because of the accident.
• Property damage: For example, if your wheelchair sustained damage in the crash, you could be reimbursed for repairs or for the cost of buying a new wheelchair.

If your lawsuit is successful, you could end up receiving a wheelchair van accident settlement for everything your family has lost. Alternatively, you could receive a jury award, if we have to take your case to court rather than negotiate for a settlement.

As stated previously, part of the criteria for filing a personal injury lawsuit is proving that someone else’s negligence caused the crash. Here are a few examples of how wheelchair transport van accidents can happen and who the liable parties could be:

• Before starting the trip, the transport van driver failed to properly secure your loved one. As a result, your loved one suffered worse injuries in the accident than they would have otherwise. The van driver neglected their duty of care and could face a lawsuit.
• Indeed, according to a study by the Veterans Administration in 2000, “the majority of wheelchair rider injuries could be prevented by providing protection for abrupt vehicle maneuvers, such as hard braking or turning.” The protection is provided by the van driver securely seat-belting or anchoring wheelchair passengers.
• The van driver’s employer failed to provide the driver with proper training on how to operate the vehicle or secure passengers. You could sue the employer for not ensuring their workers were qualified.
• The driver of another vehicle ran through a red light and hit the transport van. They disobeyed a traffic law and are therefore liable.
• The transport van’s brakes malfunctioned. The manufacturer that produced the brake system knew about the defect but did not issue a recall in a timely manner. The manufacturer is now liable for your loved one’s injuries.

In some cases, more than one party may share liability for the accident. This is why we are so careful about investigating every case: we want to make sure we have a thorough understanding of your accident so we can hold all liable parties accountable and pursue all of the compensation you deserve.

Cook, Bradford & Levy, LLC, offers free case reviews to anyone who reaches out to us with a personal injury case. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can get started on your case and seek the compensation you deserve. Call us at 303-543-1000 as soon as you can.