Got hit by a city bus running a red — they're claiming I'm at fault. Anyone dealt with this?
I still can't believe I'm typing this out but here goes.
About four months ago I was driving through an intersection on a solid green. A municipal transit bus blew straight through the red on the cross street and slammed into my passenger side. My car got pushed halfway up onto the curb. Airbags deployed, I had a messed up shoulder and some cracked ribs — nothing that required surgery but definitely not "walk it off" injuries either.
Here's where it gets infuriating. The city's risk management office just sent me a formal response basically saying their driver followed proper protocols, that I should have yielded, and they're denying my claim entirely. I had the green light. There was a delivery truck stopped at the corner that partially blocked my sightline — I genuinely did not see the bus coming until it was already in the intersection.
To make things worse, my coverage situation was... complicated at the time. I'd switched carriers and there was a gap of a few days that I didn't realize until after the crash. I know, I know. I'm already kicking myself for it.
This whole thing has snowballed. I missed almost six weeks of work, I'm still doing PT for my shoulder, and my car is totaled. The city is acting like it just never happened.
Has anyone gone up against a government entity or transit authority after an accident? How did that even go for you? I feel like they're just hoping I give up and disappear.