Bus Accident Attorney in Belton, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Belton, MO. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a destructive 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 rarely get the same attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can frequently be similarly dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Belton, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and obey the rules. When they eschew their duty and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong effects for you or your family. Your Belton, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you recover the best possible compensation that you deserve for your damages.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience defending the injured in Belton and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to take responsibility for their negligent actions. Many Belton, MO residents have put their claims and their futures in our capable hands, and to date we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, devotion, resolution, knowledge and experience to help find justice in personal injury cases and help Belton, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for exorbitant medical bills and also deal with the emotional impact of your injury just because somebody else broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Belton, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary case evaluation. We start working on your claim right away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Belton, MO because of another person's reckless behavior, discover how much your injury may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Belton, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the driver and you went aboard the bus supposing that the appropriate safety protocols were followed. Belton, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they have an obligation to follow, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is generally caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the worst instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Belton, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight by your side so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we start working on your case right away, and will not let up until you recover the full compensation you deserve. We have experienced with every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Belton, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they are owed. Those Belton, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the hard cases. Call us today and let the passionate, experienced and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complex and can be difficult to comprehend for Belton, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Belton, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every facet of your case. You can expect a veteran and skilled bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site immediately. 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 key evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are typically a lot of people who want the same answers and compensation you do. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, in additional to key details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. Several different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Belton, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work alongside our network of Belton, MO auto wreck 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 implement our knowledge and expertise to ensure you collect it.
• Stand up to resistant Belton, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their profits than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and weasel their way out of their obligation to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those schemes will not work in your case.
• Take the fight to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to secure you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Additionally, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire time. We oversee all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can focus all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We charge no attorneys fees until you get the best possible compensation. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a catastrophic bus accident, contact an expert and dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

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

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Belton, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident transpired.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of a grave offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had committed driving errors, such as speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, especially the ones that work for commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become drowsy and can even fall asleep at the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how often they have to take a break, those rules are frequently <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/05/23/us/greyhound-investigation/" target="_blank” rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener title="CNN"not enforced or followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of steering them, slippery roads or Belton, MO construction areas can be especially risky for bus commuters. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company will be negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, but much less than 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 inspectors frequently cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections needed. Some Belton, MO bus companies do not properly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to make sure that their drivers are sufficiently 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
  • Defective or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Belton, MO street, the better your chances of holding the negligent parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Belton, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to fix the issue but either did not do so quickly enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your talented Belton, MO bus accident attorney determines the reasons behind your wreck, they will be able to confirm who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with delivering you full compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are often found negligent in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their riders to look out for their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite insisting that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not complying with its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to inhibit sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often obeyed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound riders have said that their driver was eating when the accident occurred, which is an example of distracted driving.

Making sure that Belton, MO buses are adequately inspected and repaired and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident may be because of a bus company either failing to provide routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are especially susceptible to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies need to be diligent in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be correctly licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Belton, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out a full investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the accident transpired.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to verify the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls if a product is found to be dangerous. If they approve an inherently defective design or do not recall a component that they knew or should have known was not functioning correctly, they are guilty of product liability. While they may try to shift the blame to somebody else, your Belton, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Belton or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be catastrophic because of the number of people who could be injured and because they often occur in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Belton, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury cases. If you want to file a suit against a municipality or government employee, you must file it within 90 days of the accident with the Office of Administration’s Risk Management Division. That is why it is essential to call a Belton, MO bus accident attorney at once after your injury. Do not delay, 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 an at-fault or reckless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck through negligence. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop the bus when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Belton, 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 get on a bus you trust that driver with your health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility seriously and causes you injury, you can be sure that the committed and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto crash, there are often two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may be responsible for a portion of the blame. Another driver’s negligence, 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 crash where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and accomplished Belton, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are liable and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus crash we most typically see in Belton and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus crashes. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is at fault, a school district in Belton, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not conduct 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 Belton, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you receive in a bus accident case will typically depend on the gravity of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have received a sprained wrist that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Belton, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received a disastrous 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 Belton, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you are awarded 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, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential

  We work with our network of medical and economic experts to determine the exact dollar amount you deserve, 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 Belton, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you receive 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 Belton, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every type of bus accident case and know the tremendous pain and devastating effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Belton, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, straightforward and tenacious and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have obtained over the past 20 years to get you the maximum recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a bus accident, do not wait another second. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.