Bus Accident Attorney in Audrain County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Audrain County, MO. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a catastrophic bus accident, take the first step in your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.

Bus accidents hardly ever get the same attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can often be just as dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Audrain County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they eschew their duty and do not respect the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent effects for you or your family. Your Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you recover the full compensation that you are owed for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience defending the injured in Audrain County and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held accountable for their negligent actions. Our Audrain County, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and to date we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help Audrain County, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose work, pay for extortionate medical bills and also handle the emotional scars of your injury only because somebody else broke the rules. If you or someone you care about has been hurt in a Audrain County, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation. We start working on your case immediately, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Audrain County, MO because of someone else's negligent actions, find out how much your damages may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Audrain County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have received injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the one driving and you boarded the bus presuming that the proper safety arrangements were adhered to. Audrain County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict rules they have an obligation to obey, but sometimes they fail in those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is generally exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly heal from, may have lifelong effects or in the worst cases can even cause wrongful death. The Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case immediately, and work tirelessly until you win the best possible compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Audrain County, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they are owed. Those Audrain County, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, veteran and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is convoluted and can be unforgiving to Audrain County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than two decades of experience standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every detail of your case. You can bank on a veteran and knowledgeable bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site the first chance we get. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer at the site at any time during the day or night in order to secure important evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are often many people who want the same answers and compensation you seek. Eyewitness testimony is a essential part of winning your case.
• Obtain additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, in additional to key details such as how far the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was done on the bus. A lot of different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
• Utilize our network of Audrain County, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and calculate exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will use our savvy and expertise to ensure you get it.
• Stand up to resistant Audrain County, MO insurance companies who care more about their bottom line than your well-being. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and avoid their obligation to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those ploys will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to secure you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire time. We oversee all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. You owe us no attorneys fees until you are fully compensated. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and devoted bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it necessitates so many people to run a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every type of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to determine who needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Audrain County, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under the age of 25, as well as more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver action. While the same study reported that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were because of an egregious offense such as the driver being intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, especially those that drive for commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become drowsy and can even fall asleep at the wheel. While most busing companies have specifications about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how often they have to take a break, those regulations are often <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not required or obeyed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of steering them, slippery roads or Audrain County, MO construction areas can be especially dangerous for bus passengers. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company is at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that is true in your case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, but not nearly as much as other transportation industries. A 2011 study by the National Transportation Safety Board found that The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has only 878 people responsible for reviews for over 765,000 trucks and buses, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews typically cannot keep up with the number of inspections needed. Some Audrain County, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies need to ensure that their drivers are adequately trained and do not drive too long without a break.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Audrain County, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the negligent parties responsible. The at-fault party may be a local Audrain County, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to repair the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not correctly repair it.

Once your experienced Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney establishes the cause of your accident, they will be able to confirm who is at-fault for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you a maximum financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are often found at-fault in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to maintain their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. Despite insisting that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely obeyed as too many breaks could lead to financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound riders have reported that their driver was eating when the crash happened, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making certain that Audrain County, MO buses are adequately inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's responsibility. A bus accident may be because of a bus company either failing to carry out routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially susceptible to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will conduct a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the crash transpired.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their vehicles and quickly announce recalls in the event of a faulty product. If they approve an inherently defective design or do not recall a component that they knew or should have known was not functioning properly, they are guilty of product liability. While they might attempt to shift the blame to someone else, your Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Audrain County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be catastrophic because of the number of people involved and because they generally occur in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the Audrain County, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability cases. If you seek to file a suit against a municipality or government employee, you must file it within 90 days of the injury with the Office of Administration’s Risk Management Division. That is why it is imperative to reach out to a Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney straight away after your injury. There is no time to wait, call the trusted Burger Law bus accident injury lawyers now at (314) 500-HURT.

Missouri Revised Statute §537.600 grants sovereign immunity to government entities and employees except against a government employee who was driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against a negligent or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash due to driving mistakes. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Audrain County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the foolish decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like their employers sometimes have to be. When you ascend a bus you trust that driver with your health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle collision, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may be responsible for a portion of the blame. Another driver’s thoughtlessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can hurt you. If you were injured in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and accomplished Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney will help you determine if they are liable and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus accident in Audrain County and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus accidents. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is liable, a school district in Audrain County, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly poor or they did not perform proper background checks when hiring drivers.

Below are some helpful links and frequently asked questions for bus accident injuries and other types of injuries:

• Do I have to Talk to the Insurance Company Before I Talk to a Lawyer?
• How Much to Expect in an Auto Accident Settlement
• What Happens During Litigation?
• Does My Family Have a Wrongful Death Claim?
• Proving Negligence in a Personal Injury Claim

What Compensation Can A Bus Accident Attorney in Audrain County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally be based on the seriousness of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have received a mild concussion that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Audrain County, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have experienced a catastrophic spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you collect a maximum financial recovery for all of the pain and inconvenience your injury has caused and will continue to cause. Missouri Senate Bill 239 defines the damages you can receive as:

• Economic damages, including:
  • Medical expenses, such as hospital bills, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We work with our team of medical and economic experts to calculate the exact dollar amount you are entitled to, accounting for inflation for future lost earning potential or future medical expenses.

• Noneconomic damages, including:
  • pain and suffering
  • mental anguish
  • inconvenience
  • physical impairment
  • disfigurement
  • loss of capacity to enjoy life
  • loss of consortium

However serious your injuries and however much they have affected your life, Burger Law's Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you are awarded the best possible compensation for all of your damages.

Learn more about our various practice areas by clicking the links below:

• Truck Crash Lawyers in Missouri
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Missouri
• Car Accident Attorney in Missouri

Call Our Audrain County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every type of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your family. Your Audrain County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, straightforward and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have acquired over the past two decades to win you the maximum recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free case review.