Seattle Personal Injury Law Firm Buckley & Associates Releases Information to Assist Victims of Ride the Ducks Accident

    SEATTLE, WA, September 25, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- James C. Buckley, principal attorney and founder of Buckley & Associates, shared information Thursday to assist the victims of the collision between a charter bus and an amphibious tour vehicle operated by Ride the Ducks earlier in the day. According to The Seattle Times, four people were killed and eight suffered serious injury after the Ride the Ducks vehicle turned into oncoming traffic and crashed into the side of a charter bus carrying students and staff from North Seattle College.

"This is an extreme tragedy - my heart goes out to the victims," Buckley said. "The first thing I asked myself when I learned about the accident was, 'What can I do to help?' I decided to post information that may make it easier for the victims to deal with the things they will need to do after such a tragedy."

What Should Victims of the Bus Accident Do?

After sustaining injuries in a bus accident or any type of collision involving a motor vehicle, Buckley stressed the importance of being examined by a medical provider.

"Medical providers may require you to pay for your treatment," he said. "However, if you have health insurance or auto insurance with personal injury protection, or PIP, coverage, those insurance companies will pay for treatments up to the limits allowed under your insurance policy."

What Should Family Members of the Deceased Do?

Buckley said that families who lost loved ones in the collision can learn about reliable funeral homes by visiting sites like USA Funeral Homes Online. He recommended the website for the Washington Funeral Directors Association as a resource that can "answer questions regarding making funeral arrangements, grief resources, and other pertinent information."
Buckley also said that the families might not have to shoulder the expenses of a funeral service on their own.

"Some funeral homes may withhold billing the funeral expenses directly to the victims' families, as this tragedy was not caused by the victims themselves," he said. "However, other funeral homes may require the families to pay the expenses upfront and to be reimbursed by the insurance companies later."

In the event that family members must pay the initial costs themselves, Buckley said that some auto insurance policies provide funds for funeral expenses as part of PIP coverage.

Should the Accident Victims Hire an Attorney Now?

Buckley said that injury victims and the loved ones of the injured or deceased should "allow themselves a period of mourning and grief" before seeking legal representation.

"Laws set out specific time periods for lawsuits to be filed - this is called the statute of limitations," he said. "In Washington, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the accident. Filing a lawsuit within days or weeks after the incident does not mean that your claim will receive more compensation than claims filed at a later date."

Plaintiffs concerned about securing evidence in the wake of the accident involving the charter bus and the Ride the Ducks vehicle should not worry, Buckley said, because agencies like the Seattle Police Department will investigate the incident thoroughly.

"The investigation will be ongoing," he said. "The evidence will be preserved regardless of whether the victims and their families have retained attorneys or not."

About Buckley & Associates Attorneys at Law

Personal injury attorney James C. Buckley founded Buckley & Associates in 1983. For more than 30 years, lawyers at the firm have pursued justice on behalf of victims who suffered injury in auto accidents, construction accidents, dog attacks, dangerous property and defective product claims and more. With offices in Seattle and Tacoma, the firm represents clients throughout Washington state. Staff members at the firm are multilingual, with languages spoken including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, French and Russian.

Law firm website: http://www.buckleylaw.net/

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