Bus Accident Attorney in Joplin, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Joplin, MO. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a disastrous bus accident, take control of 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 crashes, even though the can oftentimes be just as hazardous and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Joplin, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and obey the rules. When they break that trust and do not respect the rules it can have devastating, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or the people you care about. Your Joplin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you get the maximum compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of the injured in Joplin and throughout Missouri and fighting back against bullies like resistant insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to take responsibility for their careless behavior. Many Joplin, MO residents have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished hands, and in total we have recovered for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their determination, devotion, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help Joplin, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for pricey medical costs and also manage the emotional toll of your injury only because another person did not respect the rules. If you or a family member has been injured in a Joplin, MO bus accident, contact the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation. We begin working on your case right away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Joplin, MO because of another person's careless behavior, discover how much your injury may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Joplin, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have sustained injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially powerless. After all, you were not the one driving and you got on board the bus supposing that the adequate safety arrangements were obeyed. Joplin, MO bus companies and drivers have strict regulations they have a duty to follow, 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 heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the most tragic instances can even cause wrongful death. The Joplin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will stand by your side so you are not required to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we get to work on on your case immediately, and work relentlessly until you receive the full compensation you are owed. We have experienced with every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and deceive injured Joplin, MO individuals and families into settling for less compensation than they are owed. Those Joplin, MO insurance companies are afraid of us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the tough cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, veteran and tenacious bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you protect your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal proceedings are complex and can be unforgiving to Joplin, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial capabilities of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over two decades standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Joplin, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every facet of your case. You can anticipate a veteran 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 on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to secure key evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were nearby. As buses carry many passengers, there are typically a lot of people who want the same answers and compensation you need. We will conduct official depositions of eyewitnesses to help in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as key details such as how many miles the driver had driven without taking a break or when the last inspection and maintenance was conducted on the bus. A lot of different factors give rise to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Joplin, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held liable.
• Use our network of Joplin, 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 use our knowledge and expertise to make sure you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Joplin, 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 weasel their way out of their duty to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
• Take your case to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our finely honed litigation skills to secure you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be in your corner whole time. We manage 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 are fully compensated. If you or someone you care about has been injured 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?

Since bus drivers, companies and manufacturers all have a role to play in running a bus safely you will first need to find out the cause of the accident before determining who was negligent. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Joplin, 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 determine what entity is responsible for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced 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 took place.
• Driver behavior. While the same study reported that just 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a grave offense such as driving while intoxicated, another study by the University of Michigan reported that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had committed driving errors, for example, speeding, being sleepy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that require drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become drowsy 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 enforced or followed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the difficulty of steering them, slick roads or Joplin, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus passengers. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you discover 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 inspectors responsible for reviews for more than 765,000 trucks and buses, or just 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot stay ahead of the amount of inspections required. Some Joplin, MO bus companies do not correctly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be a hazard. Furthermore, bus companies are obligated to ensure that their drivers are adequately trained and do not drive too many hours without a break.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can result in a driver losing control and crashing. A Few common examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for example branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Joplin, MO street, the better your chances of holding the at-fault parties responsible. The liable party may be a local Joplin, MO government, or a third party whom the government hired to fix the issue but either did not do so soon enough or did not properly repair it.

Once your knowledgeable Joplin, MO bus accident attorney determines the reasons for your accident, they will be able to confirm who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with securing you a full financial recovery. Below are some examples of parties who are often found liable in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transport buses such as Greyhounds are deemed common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to look out for their safety. Part of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not being overworked. In despite of saying 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 required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to stave off drowsiness. However, the rule is not enforced and is not often followed as too many breaks could lead to 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 passengers have said that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making sure that Joplin, MO buses are properly 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 because of a bus company either failing to provide routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are particularly prone to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies need to be vigilant in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be able to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Joplin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will perform a full 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 an obligation to certify the safety of their products and swiftly issue recalls if a product is discovered to be faulty. If they approve an inherently flawed 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 Joplin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over two decades of experience making sure careless parties are held responsible for their behavior.

The Joplin or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can frequently be calamitous because of the amount of people involved and because they typically occur in densely populated areas. While you can file a suit against the Joplin, MO government, there are special procedures for doing so. Missouri has sovereign immunities for governmental entities and government employees than for the average citizen in personal injury cases. If you want 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 Joplin, MO bus accident attorney right 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 thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a wreck due to recklessness. If they became distracted by looking at the roadside or talking, did not stop the bus when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Joplin, 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 duty seriously and causes you injury, you can be confident that the committed and aggressive bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle crash, two or more drivers are often 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 hurt you. If you were injured in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and experienced Joplin, MO bus accident attorney will help you ascertain if they are liable and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus crash in Joplin 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 responsible, a school district in Joplin, 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 perform 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 Joplin, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you receive in a bus accident case will typically be based on the seriousness of your injuries and the consequences they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained ankle that merely required a quick trip to an emergency room in Joplin, MO and a week or two off work. Or, you may have experienced a disastrous spinal cord injury that leaves you disabled and in need of assistive devices for the rest of your life. When you hire a dedicated and accomplished Joplin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you secure a fair 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 potential

  We use our team of medical and economic experts to calculate 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 Joplin, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively 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 Joplin, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every variety of bus accident case and know the immense pain and catastrophic effect it can have on your and the people you care about. Your Joplin, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is passionate, accomplished, trustworthy and relentless and will use every bit of the knowledge and skills we have obtained over the past 20 years to win you the full recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 case review.