Bus Accident Attorney in De Kalb, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in De Kalb, MO. If you or someone you care about has been harmed in a disastrous 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 wrecks, even though the can oftentimes be equally as dangerous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust De Kalb, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and respect the rules. When they break that trust and break the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your family. Your De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you collect the full compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over two decades of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in De Kalb and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to be held accountable for their reckless actions. Our De Kalb, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our capable hands, and to date we have recovered for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, commitment, resolution, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help De Kalb, MO residents become whole again. You should not have to lose wages, pay for expensive medical bills and also manage the emotional shock of your injury just because someone else broke the rules. If you or a family member has been harmed in a De Kalb, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free case review. We get started on your claim immediately, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

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

Do I Need a De Kalb, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the one driving and you got on the bus under the assumption that the appropriate safety protocols were adhered to. De Kalb, MO bus companies and drivers have stringent regulations they have a responsibility to adhere to, but sometimes they neglect 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 lifelong consequences or in the most tragic instances can even result in wrongful death. The De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case immediately, and will not let up until you win the full compensation you deserve. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident claim and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured De Kalb, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they are owed. Those De Kalb, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the hard cases. Call us today and let the passionate, accomplished and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complex and can be difficult to comprehend for De Kalb, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over two decades standing up to bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your case. You can anticipate a seasoned and savvy bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site immediately. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer on the scene at any time during the day or night in order to secure vital evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry a variety of passengers, there are generally a lot of passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you do. Eyewitness testimony is a vital part of proving your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and key details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. Many different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney will discover why the crash happened and who needs to be held liable.
• Use our network of De Kalb, MO crash 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 utilize our experience and expertise to make certain you get it.
• Stand up to resistant De Kalb, MO insurance companies who care more about 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 schemes 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 finely honed litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be by your side the 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. 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 dedicated bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Because bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a role to play in operating a bus in a safe manner you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every kind 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? | De Kalb, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• The age of the driver and their experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that beginner drivers under 25 years old, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident happened.
• Driver action. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were because of a severe offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, especially those that are employed by 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 behind the wheel. While most busing companies have specifications about how many hours a driver can drive during a day or how frequently 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 obligated or followed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ weight and the awkwardness of maneuvering them, slippery roads or De Kalb, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus commuters. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you determine if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory bodies, but not close to 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 inspectors responsible for inspections of more than 765,000 motor carriers, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections required. Some De Kalb, MO bus companies do not adequately repair their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies are required to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Faults in the road and road conditions can cause a driver to lose control and crash. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

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

Once your expert De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney establishes the cause of your wreck, they will be able to determine who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with delivering you maximum compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are often found liable 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 riders to look out for their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make certain 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 complying with its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obligated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off drowsiness. 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 stated that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were because of driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound riders have stated that their driver was eating when the accident occurred, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making sure that De Kalb, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and maintained and that safety equipment such as seatbelts are present and up-to-date are also part of the bus company's obligation. A bus accident could be a consequence of a bus company either neglecting to carry out routine maintenance or failing to fix a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly vulnerable to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be mindful in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be correctly licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform a complete investigation into the bus company's hiring practices and the person who was driving when the accident happened.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have an obligation to verify the safety of their products and immediately issue recalls if a product is found to be defective. If they approve an inherently unsafe 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 place the blame on someone else, your De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The De Kalb or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be devastating because of the number of people involved and because they usually occur in metropolitan areas. While you can seek compensation from the De Kalb, 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 personal injury suits. If you seek to make a claim 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 vital to get in touch with a De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney at once 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 a liable or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck because of driver error. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or texting, did not pull over when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the De Kalb, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the terrible 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 safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty seriously and causes you injury, you can be certain that the dedicated and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle wreck, there are frequently two or more drivers, and in some cases they each may share 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 harm you. If you were hurt in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and seasoned De Kalb, 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 category of bus crash we most commonly see in De Kalb 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 De Kalb, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were particularly poor 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 De Kalb, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you are awarded in a bus accident case will usually depend on the severity of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have sustained a sprained wrist that only required a quick trip to an emergency room in De Kalb, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of special equipment for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you receive a full 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 capacity

  We utilize our team of medical and economic experts to quantify 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 severe your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you collect 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 De Kalb, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your family. Your De Kalb, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, honest and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have gained over the past two decades to secure you the full recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a bus accident, there is no time to wait. Call Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a complimentary case evaluation.