Bus Accident Attorney in Jackson County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Jackson County, MO. If you or someone you care about has been injured 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 get equal attention as plane or train accidents, even though the can oftentimes be similarly hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Jackson County, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and respect the rules. When they break that trust and disregard the rules it can have terrible, sometimes permanent effects for you or the people you care about. Your Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make certain that you win the maximum compensation that you deserve for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has over 20 years of experience defending the injured in Jackson County and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to be held responsible for their reckless behavior. Our Jackson County, MO clients have put their claims and their futures in our trustworthy hands, and to date we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, resolution, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Jackson County, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose work, pay for extortionate medical costs and also work through the emotional impact of your injury only because someone else broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Jackson County, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We begin 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 Jackson County, MO because of somebody else's reckless behavior, find out how much your injury may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Jackson County, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have experienced injuries in a bus accident, you are probably feeling especially unprotected. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus assuming that the proper safety measures were adhered to. Jackson County, 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 caused by bus accidents, injuries can take years to really recover from, may have lifelong effects or in the worst cases can even lead to wrongful death. The Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand in your corner so you do not need to go it alone. When you hire us we begin working on your case straight away, and will not let up until you recover the best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have seen every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Jackson County, MO individuals and families into accepting less money than they entitled to. Those Jackson County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the passionate, accomplished and aggressive bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are convoluted and can be unforgiving to Jackson County, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. We have more than two decades of experience fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your claim. You can bank on a veteran and knowledgeable bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash 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 key evidence for your claim.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also received injuries in the crash or were close by. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are almost always a lot of 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, security videos, police reports, and important details such as how long the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney will discover the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work with our network of Jackson County, MO auto wreck and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and calculate precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will utilize our knowledge and expertise to make certain you get it.
• Fight back against resistant Jackson County, 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 claim. When you hire us, you can be sure those schemes will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company does not offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner entire time. We handle 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 we win your case. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a disastrous bus accident, contact an expert and committed bus accident attorney at Burger Law today.

Who is Liable for My Bus Accident Injuries?

Since it necessitates 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 is liable. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Jackson County, 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 what entity needs to be held responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Jackson County, 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 the age of 55 were more likely to be driving when a bus accident took place.
• Driver behavior. While the same study reported that only 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by a grave offense such as the driver being intoxicated, a different study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus wrecks had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A large portion of bus drivers, particularly the ones that work for commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require 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 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 required or obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of driving them, slick roads or Jackson County, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus riders. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that applies case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are regulated, 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 reviews for more than 765,000 trucks and buses, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot keep pace with the amount of inspections needed. Some Jackson County, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be less safe. Additionally, bus companies are obligated to make certain that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Hazardous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and crashing. Some common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Malfunctioning or missing traffic lights
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the dangerous condition has been on the Jackson County, MO street, the better chance you have of holding the liable parties accountable. The liable party may be a local Jackson County, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to fix the condition but either did not do so quickly enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your experienced Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney ascertains the reasons for your crash, they will be able to determine who is at-fault for your injuries and how to proceed with securing you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found liable in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their passengers to look out for their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of insisting that safety is their principal priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules when it comes to driver fatigue. Drivers are technically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to stave off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often followed 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 because of driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound passengers have stated that their driver was eating when the crash transpired, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Jackson County, MO buses are correctly inspected and maintained 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 a consequence of a bus company either failing to carry out routine inspections or failing to fix 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.

Lastly, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will carry out 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 confirm the safety of their vehicles and swiftly issue 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 might attempt to shift the blame to someone else, your Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure at-fault parties are held responsible for their actions.

The Jackson County 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 take place in metropolitan areas. While you can seek a financial recovery from the Jackson County, MO government, there are particular procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury suits. If you want to file a suit 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 necessary to get in touch with a Jackson County, 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 a liable or reckless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck because of driving mistakes. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop when they were feeling sleepy, did not pay attention to the Jackson County, 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 their employers sometimes have to be. When you get on a bus you trust that driver with your safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto accident, there are often two or more drivers, and in some instances they each may bear a percentage of the blame. Another driver’s thoughtlessness, such as speeding, driving while intoxicated or pulling in front of the bus too quickly can injure you. If you were hurt in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and veteran Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are at fault and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the category of bus crash we most typically see in Jackson County 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 Jackson County, MO may also be held responsible, for example if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially poor or they did not carry out 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 Jackson County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will generally depend on the seriousness of your injuries and how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have sustained a sprained wrist that just required a quick trip to an emergency room in Jackson County, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have experienced 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 Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you secure 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, rehabilitation, 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 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 Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight relentlessly to ensure that you are awarded 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 Jackson County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the tremendous anguish and disastrous effect it can have on your and your family. Your Jackson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, trustworthy and persistent and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past two decades to secure you the maximum recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been injured 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 free consultation.