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A Sun Tran bus, a van, and a pickup collided at Ajo Way and Mission Road on September 25. One person went to the hospital with serious injuries. It was the kind of Sun Tran bus accident that can change a life in seconds. Tucson police closed eastbound Ajo Way while they investigated. They have not announced a cause.
Crashes like this one involve a detail most injured people never hear about in time. A city bus is a government vehicle. Arizona gives a person hurt by a government vehicle about six months to act, not two years. After a Sun Tran bus accident, the calendar starts on the day of the crash.
Why a City Bus Changes the Rules
Most Arizona injury claims follow a simple timeline. You have two years to file a lawsuit against a private driver or company. Nothing formal has to happen before that.
Claims against public entities work differently. The City of Tucson owns the Sun Tran system. Arizona law treats a city, a county, a school district, and the state as public entities. Before you can sue any of them, you must first deliver a written notice of claim. A lawsuit filed without one fails, no matter how strong the facts are.
Sun Tran carries heavy traffic, with millions of rides every year. Buses run all day on Ajo Way, Speedway, Broadway, Oracle Road, and Sixth Avenue. With that much exposure, collisions with cars, cyclists, and pedestrians happen regularly.
What the 180 Day Notice Must Contain
The rule sits in section 12-821.01 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. It sets four demands, and courts enforce each one strictly.
- Timing. You must file the notice within 180 days after your claim accrues. For a crash, that usually means the date of the collision.
- Facts. The notice must describe enough facts for the city to understand why it may be liable.
- A specific amount. The notice must state a specific sum for which you would settle the claim.
- Support for the amount. You must also give the facts that support that figure.
The third item causes the most trouble. A notice that says “an amount to be determined” does not comply. The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected notices that qualified the figure so heavily that the city could not tell what amount would settle the claim. You must name one number, even though you may still be in treatment. Choosing it takes real work, because the city can accept it.
A late or defective notice ends the claim. The statute says a claim not filed within 180 days is barred.
Who Must Receive It
The notice must go to a person authorized to accept legal papers for the public entity. For the City of Tucson, that is the City Clerk. Handing a letter to the bus driver, a claims adjuster, or a customer service desk does not count. Proof of delivery matters as much as the letter itself.
What Happens After You File
The city has 60 days to respond. If you hear nothing in that time, the law treats the claim as denied. You may then file a lawsuit.
The One Year Lawsuit Deadline
A second clock runs alongside the first. Under section 12-821, any lawsuit against a public entity or public employee must begin within one year. That is half the time allowed against a private driver.
The two deadlines stack. You need the notice within 180 days and the lawsuit within one year. Meeting only one of them is not enough.
Sun Tran Is Publicly Owned and Privately Operated
Here is the twist in a Sun Tran bus accident claim. The city owns the buses, but a private transit management company runs daily operations under contract. Depending on the facts, the driver may work for that contractor and not for the city.
That split affects strategy. Arizona’s definition of a public employee leaves out independent contractors. A private operator may not get the protection of the notice of claim statute, and the ordinary two year deadline may apply to it. A careful claim usually names both.
No one should gamble on which entity employed the driver. The safe course is to serve a proper notice on the city within 180 days in every case. You lose nothing by filing it. You can lose everything by skipping it.
Who Else May Share Responsibility
Arizona divides fault among everyone who contributed to a crash. The Ajo Way collision involved three vehicles, and multi vehicle bus crashes often spread blame widely. Possible parties include:
- The bus driver, for speeding, running a signal, or pulling out unsafely
- The operating contractor, for poor training, scheduling, or maintenance
- The City of Tucson, as owner of the vehicle and the system
- Another motorist who cut off or struck the bus
- A government agency responsible for a faulty signal or dangerous road design
Arizona uses pure comparative fault. Each party pays according to its percentage. Your own share reduces your recovery but does not bar it.
Passengers hold a strong position in these cases. A rider standing in the aisle did nothing to cause a collision. Someone else is almost always responsible for a passenger’s injuries.
What a Claim Against the City Can Recover
A valid claim covers the same losses as any other Arizona injury case. Those include medical bills, future care, lost wages, reduced earning ability, and pain. Arizona places no general cap on these damages, even against a city.
One limit does apply. Arizona law does not allow punitive damages against a public entity. That rule makes the private contractor more important in a case that involves reckless conduct.
Your settlement figure in the notice should account for all of it. A number based only on the first emergency room bill will undervalue a serious injury.
Exceptions for Children and Late Discovered Injuries
The statute contains two narrow protections. A child’s 180 days does not begin until the child turns 18. The same pause applies to a person who is legally incompetent.
The clock also starts only when you know you were injured and know, or should know, what caused it. That rule rarely helps after a crash. You know about a collision the moment it happens.
Evidence to Secure After a Sun Tran Bus Accident
City buses carry more recording equipment than almost any vehicle on the road. Much of it gets overwritten on a routine schedule.
- Onboard video from several cameras, inside and outside the bus
- GPS and speed data from the vehicle location system
- The driver’s schedule, hours, and training file
- Maintenance and inspection records for that bus
- The Tucson Police Department crash report
- Names of other passengers, who make useful witnesses
A written preservation demand should go out within days. Get medical care right away, photograph the scene, and write down the bus number and route.
How Milano Legal Group Can Help
Government claims punish delay more than any other injury case. We calculate both deadlines on day one. We prepare a notice of claim with a supported, specific figure and serve it on the right official. We also pursue the private contractor and any other driver who shares the blame. Learn how we handle transit cases on our bus accidents page. You can also see our local practice on our Tucson personal injury page.
We work on a contingency basis, so there are no fees unless we win. Call Milano Legal Group today at 855-545-1777 for a free, no-obligation case evaluation. Serving clients throughout Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas.
