Bus Accident Attorney in Carthage, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Carthage, MO. If you or a loved one has been harmed 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 almost never get equal attention as plane or train crashes, even though the can frequently be equally as dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Carthage, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they eschew their duty and do not respect the rules it can have devastating, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or the people you care about. Your Carthage, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you recover the full compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience defending the injured in Carthage and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held responsible for their reckless actions. Many Carthage, MO individuals have put their claims and their futures in our accomplished hands, and to date we have recovered for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help Carthage, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for sky-high medical bills and also deal with the emotional scars of your injury just because another person broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Carthage, 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 straight away, and we do not charge any fees until we win you the financial recovery you are entitled to.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Carthage, MO because of somebody else's negligent actions, discover how much your claim may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Carthage, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus supposing that the correct safety protocols were followed. Carthage, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent laws they have a duty to obey, but sometimes they neglect those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is frequently caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to truly heal from, may have permanent effects or in the most terrible instances can even lead to wrongful death. The Carthage, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand by your side so you do not have to go it alone. When you hire us we start working on your case immediately, and will not let up until you recover the best possible compensation you are owed. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Carthage, MO individuals and families into accepting less compensation than they deserve. Those Carthage, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, experienced and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are convoluted and can be difficult to comprehend for Carthage, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial abilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over two decades standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Carthage, MO bus accident attorney team, we oversee every detail of your claim. You can bank on an accomplished and knowledgeable bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident site as soon as possible. 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 claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry many passengers, there are typically many people who want the same answers and compensation you seek. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Acquire additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and maintenance was conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Carthage, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held liable.
• Utilize our network of Carthage, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and put a figure on precisely how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will utilize our experience and expertise to ensure you recover it.
• Stand up to resistant Carthage, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their bottom line than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and devalue your injuries. When you hire us, you can be sure those tricks will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the 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. You owe us no attorneys fees until you get fair compensation. 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?

Because it takes so many people to operate a bus safely, from manufacturers, to bus companies to drivers, you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Carthage, 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 find out who is responsible for your injuries.

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

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under the age of 25, as well as more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident transpired.
• Driver behavior. While the same study reported that only 4 percent of bus accidents were because of 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 accidents had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, especially those that work for 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 behind the wheel. While most busing companies have rules about how many hours a driver can drive during without a break or how frequently they have to take a break, those rules 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 followed.
• Road hazards. Given buses’ size and the intricacy of steering them, slick roads or Carthage, MO construction areas can be especially dangerous 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 discover if that is true in your 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 commercial motor vehicles, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot keep pace with the number of inspections required. Some Carthage, MO bus companies do not adequately maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Furthermore, bus companies need to make certain 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 crashing. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Faulty or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Carthage, MO road, the better chance you have of holding the negligent parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Carthage, MO government, or a third party whom the government contracted to fix the problem but either did not do so soon enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your skilled Carthage, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons behind your crash, they will be able to ascertain who is at-fault for your injuries and how to take the next steps toward getting you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are generally found at-fault in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered 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 sure that their drivers are not driving too many hours without a break. Despite saying that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to inhibit sleepiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not obeyed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study reported that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were due to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound passengers have said that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Carthage, MO buses are properly inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also part of the bus company's responsibility. A bus accident may be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to perform routine inspections or failing to repair a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially susceptible to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be diligent in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be sufficiently licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Carthage, 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 wreck transpired.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a responsibility to confirm the safety of their vehicles and quickly issue recalls if a product is discovered to be unsafe. If they approve an inherently dangerous design or do not recall a component that they knew or should have known was not functioning adequately, they are guilty of product liability. While they might try to shift the blame to somebody else, your Carthage, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure reckless parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Carthage or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be disastrous because of the amount of people involved and because they generally transpire in densely populated areas. While you can seek compensation from the Carthage, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has stricter protections for governmental bodies and government employees than for the average citizen in injury liability cases. If you want 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 Carthage, 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 operating 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 crash due to driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or texting, did not stop the bus when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Carthage, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the horrible decision to drive drunk, they need to be held accountable just like bus companies sometimes have to be. When you go on board 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 tenacious bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto collision, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may bear 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 knowledgeable and accomplished Carthage, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are responsible 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 commonly see in Carthage and Missouri. Nationally, school bus accidents account for 40 percent of all fatal bus wrecks. While often the driver, bus company or bus manufacturer is liable, a school district in Carthage, MO may also be held accountable, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly dangerous or they did not conduct sufficient 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 Carthage, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you are awarded in a bus accident case will usually be based on the gravity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have gotten a mild concussion that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Carthage, 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 remainder of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Carthage, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure that you receive 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 with our network of medical and economic experts to calculate 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 Carthage, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you are awarded 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 Carthage, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the incalculable pain and calamitous effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Carthage, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, honest and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past two decades to win you the the best possible recovery you are rightfully owed. If you or a loved one has been harmed 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.