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Hurt in an Atlanta bus crash? Our bus accident lawyers handle MARTA, school bus, charter bus and shuttle cases across metro Atlanta. Free case evaluation. No fee unless we win.
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If you were just hit by a MARTA bus, hurt on a school bus, or injured in a charter bus crash in metro Atlanta — stop and read this first. The next 24 to 72 hours matter more than most injury victims realize:
Call The Wilson PC for a free, confidential consultation. We’re available 24/7. Hablamos español. Home and hospital visits available for clients who can’t travel. You don’t pay unless we win.
An Atlanta bus accident lawyer plays an important role in helping victims who sustained injuries in a MARTA bus crash, school bus collision, charter bus rollover, or any other commercial bus incident. (Out-of-state visitors often search for an “MTA bus accident lawyer” — in Atlanta, the system is MARTA, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority.) Your attorney is responsible for investigating the crash, gathering evidence, identifying every liable party, negotiating with insurance carriers, and representing you in court when settlement isn’t enough. At The Wilson PC, we take these responsibilities seriously, ensuring your rights are protected from the first phone call through final resolution.
Our team goes above and beyond on every Atlanta bus accident case. We provide personalized legal strategies tailored to the specific type of bus involved — whether that’s a MARTA bus, a Fulton or DeKalb County school bus, a Greyhound, Megabus, FlixBus, motorcoach, party bus, or airport shuttle running between Hartsfield-Jackson and downtown Atlanta. As your MARTA bus accident lawyer or charter bus accident attorney, our experienced bus injury attorneys guide you through each step, from the initial consultation to settlement or verdict, always working toward the maximum compensation you deserve.
After a bus accident in Atlanta, the steps you take in the first hours and days protect your health and the strength of your future claim. Seek medical attention immediately — even if you feel “fine” — because bus crash injuries like whiplash, concussions, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and soft tissue damage often don’t show symptoms until days later. Document the scene with photos, get the bus number and route, identify the operator (MARTA, the school district, or the private bus company), and gather contact information from witnesses and other passengers.
If you were injured on a MARTA bus, request a copy of the incident report from the operator and note the time, location, and direction of travel. The Wilson PC can help you understand and execute these steps the right way. From the moment you reach out, our legal team begins gathering evidence, communicating with insurance adjusters, and — critically — protecting any short notice deadlines that apply to claims against public transit authorities like MARTA.
Bus accident insurance claims are different from ordinary car accident claims. Charter bus operators, motorcoach companies, and tour bus carriers are required to carry far higher liability policies under federal motor carrier safety regulations (FMCSA). Public transit authorities like MARTA self-insure under their own claims process. School districts are generally protected by sovereign immunity except in narrow waivers — most often involving motor vehicle operation. Each path comes with its own playbook, and insurance companies count on you not knowing the difference.
Our bus accident attorneys at The Wilson PC have a deep understanding of these tactics. We handle every communication with the bus company’s insurer, MARTA’s claims division, the school district’s risk manager, or the private carrier’s adjuster — ensuring your rights aren’t compromised and you receive fair compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and any future medical treatment your injuries will require.
Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence system under the 50% rule. If you’re found partially at fault for the bus crash, your compensation is reduced by your share of fault — and if you’re 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurance companies routinely try to push some blame onto bus passengers (“you were standing while the bus was moving,” “you should have seen the bus coming”) precisely because every percentage point of fault they assign you reduces what they have to pay.
Our attorneys are well-versed in Georgia’s modified comparative negligence laws and know how to build a strong case that defeats those tactics. We use bus surveillance footage, dashcam video, the bus’s event data recorder (black box), driver logs, and expert accident reconstruction to make sure fault lands where it actually belongs.
Bus accidents differ significantly from ordinary car or truck wrecks for three reasons that change everything about your case:
Our team’s experience handling MARTA bus accidents, school bus accidents, charter bus accidents, and commercial bus accidents across metro Atlanta lets us spot every angle of liability the first time — not the third.
Evidence is the foundation of any bus accident claim. The Wilson PC moves fast to preserve and collect:
MARTA, school districts, and private bus companies routinely overwrite surveillance footage on a 30 to 90 day cycle. Acting quickly — through a formal evidence preservation letter (a “spoliation letter”) — is often the difference between a winning case and a he-said-she-said dispute.
Atlanta bus accident victims may be eligible for several categories of compensation:
At The Wilson PC, we take a strategic approach to make sure no category of damages is left on the table. We assess the full extent of your losses — including those you may not realize you can claim — and fight relentlessly to secure the maximum compensation you deserve.
This is the question every bus accident victim asks first — and the honest answer is that no lawyer can quote you a number until they’ve reviewed your case. What we can tell you is that the value of an Atlanta bus accident claim depends on five concrete factors:
We don’t quote settlement values over the phone before reviewing the facts — and you should be skeptical of any lawyer who does. What we will do, in your free consultation, is walk you through how each of these five factors applies to your specific case and give you a realistic, honest read on the path forward.
Georgia has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33. That means you generally have two years from the date of the bus crash to file a lawsuit. Miss that deadline and your case is barred, no matter how serious your injuries.
But here’s the trap that catches Atlanta bus accident victims off guard: if your bus accident involves a public entity — a MARTA bus, a Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, or Gwinnett County school bus, or any city- or county-operated transit — you have a much shorter ante litem notice deadline that comes long before the two-year mark.
Miss the ante litem notice and your case dies before it ever begins — even if you’re still well inside the two-year window. This is why people search “how to sue MARTA” and “ante litem notice MARTA” and find the answers terrifying. Acting promptly is essential. The Wilson PC handles the ante litem process, statutory service requirements, and the underlying lawsuit so your case moves forward without procedural landmines.
We’ll be straight with you. If your bus accident happened more than 6 months ago and involved MARTA, the ante litem deadline may have already passed under O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5. If your school bus or county-bus crash is more than 12 months old, the same risk applies under O.C.G.A. § 36-11-1. There are narrow exceptions — incapacity, fraud, equitable tolling — but they’re hard to win on.
Call us anyway. A 5-minute conversation will tell you whether you still have options, and if we can’t help, we’ll point you to someone who can. That’s how we do this. The consultation is always free.
Our Atlanta bus crash lawyers handle every category of bus collision, including:
At The Wilson PC, we understand the challenges Atlanta bus accident victims face after a crash on I-285, I-75, I-85, or I-20, in Buckhead, Midtown, Decatur, Marietta, Alpharetta, or near a downtown Atlanta MARTA station like Five Points, Peachtree Center, or Civic Center. Search for a “bus accident lawyer Atlanta GA” or an “Atlanta bus crash attorney” and you’ll find plenty of options — but we’re a team of experienced bus accident attorneys serving Fulton County, DeKalb County, Cobb County, and Gwinnett County, with millions recovered for clients harmed by another party’s negligence. With a proven track record handling MARTA bus accidents, school bus accidents, and charter bus accidents in metro Atlanta, we have become a trusted name in the city’s legal community.
Our Atlanta office at 101 Marietta Street NW is in the heart of downtown — walking distance from the Five Points MARTA station, the Fulton County courthouse, and major treating hospitals like Grady Memorial. Can’t come to us? We make home and hospital visits for clients with serious injuries. Hablamos español. We’re available 24/7, with no upfront costs and no fee unless we win.
Because buses don’t have seat belts for most passengers and operate at highway speeds, the injuries from a bus crash tend to be more severe than ordinary car accidents. The injuries we most often see in our Atlanta bus accident cases include:
One of the most important questions our clients ask is, “Who can I actually sue after a bus accident?” In Georgia, depending on the facts, multiple parties may share liability:
Our attorneys investigate every potential source of recovery so you’re not relying on a single insurance policy that may not be enough to cover catastrophic injuries.
We have won MILLIONS for clients in every type of traffic incident:
It doesn't matter if the other driver was speeding, drunk, or simply reckless... you are entitled to be made whole through financial means.
We've Won Millions For People Just Like You!
Understanding two important terms is the key to receiving the compensation you deserve. We follow four legal steps to show that you were treated unfairly under Georgia negligence law:
Every driver must obey traffic laws and drive safely — and bus operators, as common carriers, owe their passengers a heightened duty of care under Georgia law.
When a bus driver acts recklessly — looking down to send a text, driving fatigued past federal hours-of-service limits, or skipping a brake inspection — they’ve breached that duty.
The driver’s breach must directly cause your injury. If they had acted responsibly, you wouldn’t have been hurt.
You must have suffered measurable harm — medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, or worse.
If you’ve been in a bus accident and are thinking about getting a lawyer, there are a few things to look out for. You don’t want a lawyer who lacks experience, doesn’t pay attention to your case, or doesn’t act professionally. You also want to stay away from someone unfriendly or rude, who can have a bad reputation among clients and other lawyers.
On average, we help our clients earn three times more than they would on their own.
We understand that money can be tight, so we work quickly to get you the compensation you deserve.
Navigating Georgia’s bus accident laws — from common carrier doctrine to ante litem notice deadlines to FMCSA regulations — can be tricky, but we’re experts. We know all the rules and strategies to make sure your voice is heard.
We’re professionals, and we hold ourselves to high standards.
We don’t want to add to your burdens. We’ll handle everything related to your compensation, making it a hassle-free experience for you.
We’re here to support you every step of the way in your journey to recovery. If you forget to tell us something, we’ll reach out and ask.
Think of us as your hosts. We’re happy to get to know you and assist you any way we can.
We’ll explain everything you need to know and keep you updated. You can always reach out if you have questions.
Yes, you can sue MARTA for a bus accident in Atlanta, but you must follow special rules. Georgia courts have applied the municipal ante litem notice statute (O.C.G.A. § 36-33-5) to MARTA, meaning you must serve a written notice of claim within 6 months of the crash. Miss that deadline and your case is barred, even though Georgia’s general personal injury statute of limitations is two years.
Under O.C.G.A. § 9-3-33, you have two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit in Georgia. If your claim is against MARTA, a school district, or another government entity, a much shorter ante litem notice deadline applies — 6 months for municipal claims and 12 months for county or state claims.
Get medical attention right away, report the incident to the MARTA bus operator before leaving, request the bus and route number, photograph your injuries and the scene, get contact info from other passengers, and call an Atlanta bus accident lawyer the same day if possible. The 6-month ante litem clock starts running immediately.
Liability depends on the facts. Possible defendants include the bus driver, the bus company or charter operator, MARTA, the school district, the bus manufacturer (for defective parts), or a third-party maintenance contractor. Many bus crash cases involve multiple defendants and multiple insurance policies.
There is no single “average” — settlements depend on injury severity, lost income, future medical needs, and the type of bus involved. A MARTA bus accident settlement, for example, is governed by sovereign immunity caps and the MARTA self-insurance process, while charter bus operators carry far higher FMCSA-mandated insurance limits. Catastrophic injury cases involving common carriers often settle far higher than typical auto cases. Talk to a bus injury attorney for a realistic range based on your specific facts.
Yes — and yes. Georgia school districts have broad sovereign immunity, with limited waivers (most importantly, the motor vehicle waiver). School bus accident liability claims must navigate that waiver, the school district’s notice rules, and tight evidence-preservation timelines. An experienced Atlanta school bus accident attorney knows how to thread that needle. Don’t assume sovereign immunity ends your case; it just changes the rules.
Yes. We handle bus accident cases throughout metro Atlanta and surrounding markets, including Alpharetta (bus accidents attorney Alpharetta), Cumming, Suwanee, Lawrenceville, and Gwinnett County mass transit injury claims, in addition to our Decatur bus accident lawyer practice.
Nothing. Our consultations are free, confidential, and carry no obligation. We work on a contingency fee basis — you pay no upfront costs, and you only pay an attorney fee if we recover compensation for you. No fee unless we win.
Most Atlanta bus accident cases resolve within 12 to 24 months, though MARTA cases and complex catastrophic injury cases can take longer because of the ante litem notice process and sovereign immunity issues. Cases that settle pre-suit move faster; cases that go to trial take longer. We’ll give you a realistic timeline at your free consultation.
Most cases settle without trial — but the willingness to go to court is what produces strong settlements. Insurance companies and government claims offices pay more when they know your lawyer will actually try the case. We prepare every Atlanta bus accident case as if it’s going to trial, even when our goal is settlement.
Yes. The Wilson PC works on contingency, which means you pay nothing out of pocket. We advance the costs of investigation, expert witnesses, and litigation. If we don’t recover for you, you don’t owe us a fee. That’s the whole point — access to a top-tier bus injury attorney shouldn’t depend on whether you can write a retainer check.
Pedestrian-versus-bus cases are some of the most serious bus accident claims we handle, often involving catastrophic injuries or wrongful death. Liability analysis is the same — the bus driver and the operating entity (MARTA, the school district, or the private carrier) can all be liable — and the same ante litem rules apply if the bus is publicly operated. Call us the same day if possible.
Generally yes — your health insurance should cover initial treatment, and we work with health insurers, hospital lien holders, and medical providers to make sure you’re treated now and reimbursement is sorted out at the end of the case. We’ll explain how this works during your free consultation.
Call as soon as possible — ideally within days, not weeks. The 6-month MARTA ante litem deadline runs from the date of the crash, not from when you hire a lawyer, and we need time to investigate and serve a proper statutory notice. The longer you wait, the harder the case gets.
Contact us today if you or a loved one have been injured in an Atlanta bus accident. Your consultation is free, quick, and confidential — and you pay nothing unless we win.
