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Bus Accident Attorney in Carl Junction, MO
Bus Accident Attorney in Carl Junction, MO. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a devastating 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 receive the same attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can often be just as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Carl Junction, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and respect the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or the people you care about. Your Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you recover the full compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Carl Junction and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to be held accountable for their thoughtless actions. Many Carl Junction, MO individuals have put their cases and their futures in our capable hands, and to date we have won them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Carl Junction, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for pricey medical bills and also handle the emotional shock of your injury just because someone else did not respect the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a Carl Junction, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review. We start working on your case at once, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the financial recovery you are owed.
If you were injured in a bus accident in Carl Junction, MO because of someone else's negligent actions, discover how much your damages may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.
What's The Process to Settle My Personal Injury Claim?
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Do I Need a Carl Junction, MO Bus Accident Attorney?
If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially vulnerable. After all, you were not the one driving and you got on board the bus under the impression that that the correct safety protocols were adhered to. Carl Junction, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent regulations they are supposed to adhere to, but sometimes they fail in those obligations and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is often exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly recover from, may have permanent effects or in the most terrible instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we start investigating on your case immediately, and will not let up until you receive the maximum compensation you deserve. We have seen every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Carl Junction, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they entitled to. Those Carl Junction, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.
Legal procedures are complicated and can be difficult to comprehend for Carl Junction, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial skills of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your case. You can bank on an experienced and knowledgeable 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 of the day or night in order to acquire key evidence for your claim.
- Interview eyewitnesses who were either also sustained injuries in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a lot of passengers, there are generally other passengers who want the same answers and compensation you need. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
- Obtain further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as important details such as how far the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was performed on the bus. Many different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney will find out why the crash happened and who needs to be held responsible.
- Use our network of Carl Junction, MO accident and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and work out precisely 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 make sure you receive it.
- Fight back against resistant Carl Junction, MO insurance companies who are more interested in 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 your case to trial if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your damages.
Additionally, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the whole 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 collect no attorneys fees until you are fairly compensated. If you or a family member has been hurt in a calamitous bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.
Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?
Because it requires so many people to operate a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to learn the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Carl Junction, 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 find out who needs to be held accountable for your injuries.
What Causes Bus Accidents? | Carl Junction, MO Bus Accident Attorney
- Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that novice drivers under 25 years old, in addition to more experienced drivers over the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
- Driver action. While the same study reported that only 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a serious offense such as driving while intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
- Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, particularly those that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become sleepy and can even fall asleep at the wheel. While most busing companies have rules about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how frequently they have to take a break, those regulations 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’ weight and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slick roads or Carl Junction, MO construction areas can be particularly risky 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 the case.
- Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, 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 personnel responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 commercial motor vehicles, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot keep pace with the amount of inspections required. Some Carl Junction, MO bus companies do not correctly inspect their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Furthermore, bus companies are mandated to ensure that their drivers are properly trained and are not overworked.
- Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few typical examples are:
- Potholes
- Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
- Faulty or missing traffic lights
- Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
- Insufficient lighting
- Excessive grades
The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Carl Junction, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the liable parties responsible. The negligent party may be a local Carl Junction, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the issue but either did not do so quickly enough or did not properly repair it.
Once your accomplished Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney deduces the cause of your wreck, they will be able to confirm who is liable for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward getting you maximum compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found liable 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 customers to look out for their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make certain that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite insisting that safety is their utmost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules concerning driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to hold off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely followed as too many breaks could result in financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound riders have stated that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which constitutes distracted driving.
Ensuring that Carl Junction, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to carry out routine inspections or failing to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly susceptible 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 sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Carl Junction, 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 accident transpired.
A Bus Manufacturer
Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to certify the safety of their products and immediately 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 may try to shift the blame to someone else, your Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure liable parties are held accountable for their behavior.
The Carl Junction or Missouri Government or a Public Entity
Public transportation accidents can frequently be disastrous because of the number of people involved and because they generally transpire in densely populated areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Carl Junction, 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 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 necessary to reach out to a Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney immediately 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 careless public bus driver in Missouri.
The Bus Driver
Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident owing to negligence. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not pull over when they were feeling fatigued, did not pay attention to the Carl Junction, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the terrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable 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 seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them accountable.
The Other Driver
Like any type of auto collision, two or more drivers are often involved, and in some cases 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 harm you. If you were injured in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and experienced Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are liable and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.
School Districts
School bus accidents are the the type of bus crash we most commonly see in Carl Junction 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 responsible, a school district in Carl Junction, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially dangerous or they did not conduct 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 Carl Junction, MO Recover For Me?
The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will generally be based on the seriousness of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have received a sprained wrist that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in Carl Junction, MO and a short time off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of assistive devices for the remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Carl Junction, 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 costs, such as hospital bills, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
- Lost wages
- Lost earning potential
We work with our team of medical and economic experts to compute 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 severe your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you get 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 Carl Junction, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today
We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the immense pain and devastating effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Carl Junction, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past 20 years to win you the the best possible recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 free case evaluation.