Texas Bus Crash Lawyer strongly urges caution before calling the Americanos "HOTLINE"

An Americanos USA tour bus crashed in Campbellton, Texas on Interstate 37 on March 16, 2010. 

I was immediately suspicious when I saw that Americanos USA -- which is a subsidiary of Greyhound -- is advertising a "HOTLINE" that it has set up "for family members whose relatives may have been on the bus."  The number to call is 800 972 4583.  Here's exactly how it reads:  "Americanos USA has set up a hotline for family members whose relatives may have been on the bus. The number is 1-800-972-4583."

GREYHOUND AND AMERICANOS USA WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO CALL THIS HOTLINE.

Why am I suspicous?  Because I believe my suspicion has a basis.  It is based on our law firm's handling of many bus accident lawsuits involving Greyhound buses.  Greyhound has a lawsuit defense machine set up, waiting to start running after every one of its bus accidents.  The moment there is a serious Greyhound bus accident, this process is underway.  Lawyers, adjusters, and company claims agents are immediately dispatched to the scene.  They make a bee line to all of the passengers.  They start with the passengers who appear to have the most serious injuries -- these are the highest exposure claims to them and they try to cut these down as fast as they can.  These are all trained professionals, and they have one job:  minimize the bus company's exposure to lawsuits that will most certainly be filed by the victims. 

Why do I say victims are most certain to file lawsuits?  Because Greyhound has a long-standing policy that it never offers a fair settlement to a bus accident victim if the victim does not (1) have a lawyer, and (2) have a lawsuit on file.  Greyhound will offer a very low ball amount to unrepresented victims, hoping they will take the money and run before they talk to a lawyer who would give them some proper advice.  Accepting a settlement offer from Greyhound before at least talking to a lawyer IS ALWAYS A VERY BAD IDEA.  It is very wise to consult with a bus accident attorney to at least get a feel for bus accident settlement values for bus accident cases.

Click here to read about typical tricks and tactics used by Greyhound after a bus accident.

Click here to read answers to some common questions victims ask after a bus accident.

If you decide to call the Americanos "Hotline," keep your guard up.  If they start asking you questions about your family member's injuries, and ask for "recorded statements," and ask you to review and sign forms -- you are best served by immediately hanging up the phone.  Most likely, at first they will be very nice and accomodating, but once you start asking some penetrating questions, listen to their reaction.  For example, if you ask them to pay for transportation to your loved one or to pay for any other incidental items caused by their bus crash, do they say "no problem" and immediately agree to pay?  Probably not.  Instead, if the don't outright refuse due to some undisclosed "police and procedure," they will string you along by insisting you must complete form after form after form.

This Hotline is a special defense tactic for the bus company to make direct contact with individuals and their families who will likely need to file litigation against the companies.  Greyhound reserves this tactic for only the most serious of bus crashes -- like this Campbellton bus accident.  It is designed to allow them to make direct contact with the bus crash victims before the victims have an opportunity to hire a lawyer.  This is when the victims are most vulnerable.  The bus company and its army of lawyers and agents will do things which will likely damage a victim's case without the victim having any idea what is going on.

Here's the bottom line:  after a bus crash as serious as this one, anyone who has a serious injury really should interview some lawyers and get a lawyer on their side.  Victims will be best served by a Board Certified lawyer (click here to find out why a Texas agency recommends hiring a Board Certified lawyer) who has experience handling bus accident cases against Greyhound.