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Bus Accident Attorney in Cameron, MO
Bus Accident Attorney in Cameron, MO. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a destructive bus accident, take control of your recovery by calling Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or by contacting us online.
Bus accidents rarely ever get the same attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can frequently be similarly harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Cameron, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they eschew their obligations and break the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes permanent consequences for you or your family. Your Cameron, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you win the full compensation that you are owed for your injuries.
At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience defending the injured in Cameron and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to take responsibility for their careless actions. Our Cameron, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and in total we have secured for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, commitment, resolution, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Cameron, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for exorbitant medical bills and also handle the emotional toll of your injury only because someone else did not respect the rules. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a Cameron, MO bus accident, reach out to the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation. We get started on your claim straight away, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.
If you were injured in a bus accident in Cameron, MO because of another person's reckless behavior, learn how much your claim may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.
What's The Process to Settle My Personal Injury Claim?
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Do I Need a Cameron, MO Bus Accident Attorney?
If you have received injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unshielded. After all, you were not the driver and you got on board the bus under the assumption that the correct safety measures were obeyed. Cameron, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they have a duty to respect, but sometimes they neglect 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 recover from, may have permanent effects or in the most terrible cases can even result in wrongful death. The Cameron, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not have to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case straight away, and work tirelessly until you win the full compensation you are owed. We have experienced with every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Cameron, MO individuals and families into settling for less money than they entitled to. Those Cameron, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, veteran and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.
Legal procedures are convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Cameron, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have over 20 years of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Cameron, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every aspect of your case. You can anticipate a seasoned and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:
- Investigate the crash 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 obtain essential evidence for your case.
- Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry a variety of passengers, there are generally a lot of people who want the same answers and compensation you do. Eyewitness testimony is a vital part of proving your case.
- Acquire further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as 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 play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Cameron, MO bus accident attorney will determine why the crash happened and who needs to be held liable.
- Use our network of Cameron, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and compute exactly how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will implement our knowledge and expertise to ensure you recover it.
- Stand up to resistant Cameron, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their bottom line than your well-being. 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 deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
- Take your case to trial if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.
Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner whole 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. We collect no attorneys fees until you get maximum compensation. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a disastrous bus accident, contact an expert and devoted bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.
Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?
Because it takes 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 Cameron, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every category of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to discover who is liable for your injuries.
What Causes Bus Accidents? | Cameron, MO Bus Accident Attorney
- The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice 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 happened.
- Driver error. While the same study reported that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to an egregious offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
- Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, especially the ones that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become fatigued and can even fall asleep behind the wheel. While most busing companies have regulations about how many hours a driver can drive during a day 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 conditions. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of driving them, slick roads or Cameron, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus riders. In some cases a third party such as a construction company is negligent. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you understand if that applies case.
- Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, 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 inspections of more than 765,000 trucks and buses, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors often cannot keep pace with the amount of inspections needed. Some Cameron, MO bus companies do not properly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies need to ensure that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
- Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and crashing. Some common examples are:
- Potholes
- Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
- Defective or missing traffic signals
- Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
- Insufficient lighting
- Excessive grades
The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Cameron, MO road, the better your odds of holding the negligent parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Cameron, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to eliminate the issue but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not properly repair it.
Once your knowledgeable Cameron, MO bus accident attorney determines the reasons for your wreck, they will be able to confirm who is liable for your injuries and how to go forward with delivering you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident cases.
Commercial Bus Companies
Transport buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to maintain their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not driving too many hours without a break. In despite of saying that safety is their highest priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to hold off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely 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 due to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound riders have said that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which is an example of distracted driving.
Ensuring that Cameron, MO buses are properly inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's obligation. A bus accident might be the result of a bus company either failing to provide routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are especially prone to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.
Lastly, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be adequately licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Cameron, 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 wreck happened.
A Bus Manufacturer
Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to ensure the safety of their products and quickly announce recalls in the event of a malfunctioning product. If they approve an inherently dangerous 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 may try to shift the blame to somebody else, your Cameron, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure at-fault parties are held accountable for their actions.
The Cameron or Missouri Government or a Public Entity
Public transportation accidents can often be disastrous because of the number of people who could be injured and because they generally take place in densely populated areas. While you can make a claim against the Cameron, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability suits. If you seek to make a claim 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 imperative to reach out to a Cameron, MO bus accident attorney straight away after your accident. 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 because of negligence. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop driving when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Cameron, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like bus companies sometimes have to be. When you ascend a bus you trust that driver with your well-being and your life. If a bus driver does not take that obligation to heart and causes you injury, you can be confident that the devoted and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.
The Other Driver
Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, there are often two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may shoulder a percentage of the blame. Another driver’s recklessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can hurt you. If you were harmed in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and experienced Cameron, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are at fault 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 Cameron 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 liable, a school district in Cameron, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were particularly poor or they did not perform adequate 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 Cameron, MO Recover For Me?
The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally depend on the gravity of your injuries and the repercussions they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained wrist that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Cameron, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received a devastating spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of assistive devices for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Cameron, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make certain 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, rehabilitation, assistive devices and medications
- Lost wages
- Lost earning capacity
We work alongside our team of medical and economic experts to determine the exact dollar amount you are owed, 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 Cameron, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you recover maximum 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 Cameron, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today
We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the incalculable pain and catastrophic effect it can have on your and your family. Your Cameron, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, honest and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past 20 years to secure you the the best possible recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been injured in a bus accident, do not delay. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary consultation.