Bus Accident Attorney in Jefferson County, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Jefferson County, MO. If you or a family member has been hurt 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 receive the same attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can frequently be just as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Jefferson 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 ruinous, sometimes lifelong consequences for you or your loved ones. Your Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you win 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 Jefferson County and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who egotistically do not want to take responsibility for their reckless actions. Our Jefferson County, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our capable hands, and in total we have gotten them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, resolution, knowledge and experience to help right wrongs in personal injury cases and help Jefferson County, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for expensive medical bills and also deal with the emotional scars of your injury just because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a Jefferson 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 get started on your claim at once, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

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

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

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially unshielded. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus under the impression that that the appropriate safety protocols were adhered to. Jefferson County, MO bus companies and drivers have strict laws they are supposed 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 truly heal from, may have permanent consequences or in the most terrible instances can even result in wrongful death. The Jefferson County, 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 right away, and work tirelessly until you receive the full compensation you are entitled to. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Jefferson County, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they deserve. Those Jefferson County, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes on – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, experienced and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

The legal process is complicated and can be unforgiving to Jefferson 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 cases. When you hire our Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your case. You can expect an accomplished and skilled bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the accident 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 acquire vital evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were close by. As buses carry many passengers, there are almost always other people who want the same answers and financial recovery you need. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, security footage, police reports, in additional to important details such as how many miles the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. Many different factors cause bus accidents, and your Burger Law Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held accountable.
• Utilize our network of Jefferson County, MO accident and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and assess precisely how much your damages are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are entitled to and we will implement our know-how and expertise to make sure you receive it.
• Fight back against resistant Jefferson County, MO insurance companies who are more concerned for their bottom line than your well-being. 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 the fight in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to win you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Beyond that, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner whole time. We manage all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend 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 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 determine the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Fortunately, an accomplished and skilled Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every variety of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to discover what entity needs to be held accountable for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Jefferson County, MO Bus Accident Attorney

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that recently licensed drivers under 25 years old, as well as 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 a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were owing to a severe offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus accidents had committed driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, particularly the ones that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles in the middle of the night, become fatigued 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 often 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 required or complied with.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ weight and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slippery roads or Jefferson County, MO construction areas can be particularly hazardous for bus passengers. In some cases a third party such as a construction company will be 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 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 trucks and buses, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot keep pace with the number of inspections required. Some Jefferson County, MO bus companies do not adequately inspect their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Additionally, bus companies are required to ensure that their drivers are sufficiently 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
  • Cracked or uneven pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the dangerous condition has been on the Jefferson County, MO road, the better your chances of holding the liable parties responsible. The at-fault party may be a local Jefferson County, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to fix the problem but either did not do so soon enough or did not adequately repair it.

Once your expert Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney establishes the reasons behind your accident, they will be able to confirm who is responsible for your injuries and how to proceed with winning you a maximum 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 regarded as common carriers under the law, which means they have a duty of care to their patrons to look out for their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not driving too many miles in a day. Despite insisting that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not following its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically obliged to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent 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 owing to driver fatigue. Additionally, many Greyhound riders have reported that their driver was eating during the time of an accident, which constitutes distracted driving.

Ensuring that Jefferson County, MO buses are sufficiently inspected and maintained and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be the result of a bus company either failing to conduct routine maintenance or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are particularly prone to breaking down and bus companies must 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 Jefferson County, 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 crash occurred.

A Bus Manufacturer

Like car and other motor vehicle manufacturers, bus manufacturers have a duty to confirm the safety of their vehicles and immediately issue recalls if a product is discovered to be defective. 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 attempt to shift the blame to someone else, your Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Jefferson County or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be disastrous because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they generally take place in metropolitan areas. While you can file a suit against the Jefferson County, MO government, there are specific 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 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 imperative to call a Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney right away after your accident. There is no time to wait, 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 owing to negligence. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not stop when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Jefferson County, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the dangerous decision to drive drunk, they need to be held responsible just like their employers 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 duty to heart and causes you injury, you can be confident that the committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make them pay.

The Other Driver

Like any type of auto collision, two or more drivers are frequently involved, 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 injured in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and accomplished Jefferson County, 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 most common type of bus accident in Jefferson County 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 Jefferson County, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when road conditions were especially bad or they did not carry out proper 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 Jefferson County, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you get in a bus accident case will usually depend on the gravity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will affect they have on your life. You may have sustained a mild concussion that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Jefferson County, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have received a catastrophic 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 Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you are awarded a great 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 use our team of medical and economic experts to determine the exact dollar amount you are entitled to, 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 Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you collect 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 Jefferson County, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the immense anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Jefferson County, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is empathetic, accomplished, trustworthy and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past 20 years to win you the maximum recovery you rightfully deserve. If you or a loved one has been harmed 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 review.