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Filing a Personal Injury Claim Against the City of Toledo*

When you go off to work or to the local shopping mall in your car the last thing that crosses your mind is the chance of being involved in a car accident. Being a careful driver you would never believe you are likely to cause the accident.

However, there are drivers who are sharing the road with you who don’t always obey the road rules which help to ensure the safety of other drivers. When this happens an unexpected accident takes place and you find yourself having to deal with a serious injury.

The first thing you may do is consider filing a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. Usually, this is the most appropriate action to take but if the person who caused your injury was a government employee, filing a personal injury claim is not quite so straightforward.

However, if you are persistent and you hire a personal injury attorney to work on your behalf you may find you are entitled to some form of compensation.

City and State Laws Regarding Government Personal Injury Claims

If you have been injured by an employee or agency of the government you are required to follow a certain set of rules if you expect to be compensated for the financial loss caused by the injury.

All Injury claims filed against the state government or any of its employees have to be filed in State’s Court of Claims. Claimants are given just 2 years from the date when the injury took place.

Chapter 2744 of the Revised Code is the Tort Liability Act (the Act), which indicates when someone employed by the state is held liable for injuries to another party. It is not general practice to permit any personal injury claims at all. However, there are 5 exceptions.

  • A city may be liable if one of its employee’s was negligently operating a motor vehicle while at work like a bus or car which caused somebody to be injured.
  • If the city employee works for emergency services and drives in a wilful manner causing an accident and injury to someone.
  • If somebody’s injuries occur due to physical defects in the grounds of government buildings that are being used for a governmental function, or an obstacle which should have been removed from a road is left and causes an accident.
  • In a few circumstances, the Revised Code may impose civil liability on a city.
  • A city could be held liable if one of its employees is negligent in his or her duties related to the running of a public service like a sewer system, a public stadium or an auditorium.

Possible Causes of Car Accidents

This city's highways are full of traffic of all shapes and sizes and accidents commonly take place between cars and larger vehicles like trucks and buses. The most likely reasons for these accidents are:

  • drivers who are in a hurry driving far too fast for road conditions;
  • defective vehicles such as brakes and gears causing unexpected accidents;
  • potholes in the road causing drivers to swerve suddenly to avoid damage to their vehicles

Bus Accidents and their Causes

All city bus use biodiesel fuel, and provide bicycle racks. It doesn’t take too much to see that they are in charge of a vast transport operation which means from time to time accidents with other vehicles do happen. The most likely accidents are caused by one of the following:

  • intoxicated drivers who lose control of their buses;
  • failing to stop at a red light or intersection because the bus is overdue;
  • spending time texting and talking on a cell phone which eventually leads to a serious accident.
  • Use a Well Informed Personal Injury Attorney if Considering Claiming Against the City

If you have been injured by a bus and you don’t have the money on hand to pay for medical treatment and you have to take time off work to recover you might be thinking about filing a personal injury claim against the city bus company or the city itself.

You will without a doubt need the services of a personal injury attorney to get the compensation you deserve.

Additional Resources

*Disclaimer: The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against the City of Toledo, or the state government of Ohio, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.