Bus Accident Attorney in Kirksville, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Kirksville, MO. If you or someone you care about has been hurt 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 rarely ever receive equal attention as plane or train wrecks, even though the can oftentimes be equally as harmful and deadly. In 2020, there were 964 bus accidents in Missouri that resulted in personal injury or death. We trust Kirksville, MO bus drivers and bus companies to maintain our safety and obey the rules. When they eschew their duty and do not respect the rules it can have terrible, sometimes lifelong effects for you or your loved ones. Your Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will make sure that you get the full compensation that you deserve 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 Kirksville and throughout Missouri and standing up to bullies like deceptive insurance companies and people who carelessly do not want to take responsibility for their thoughtless actions. Our Kirksville, MO clients have put their cases and their futures in our accomplished hands, and to date we have collected for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, dedication, relentlessness, knowledge and experience to help secure justice in personal injury cases and help Kirksville, MO residents on their road to recovery. You should not have to lose wages, pay for exorbitant medical costs and also work through the emotional toll of your injury just because another person broke the rules. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a Kirksville, MO bus accident, call the bus accident attorney of Burger Law today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We start working on your case straight away, and you do not owe us any fees until we win you the compensation you deserve.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Kirksville, MO because of someone else's careless actions, find out how much your injury may be worth by filling out our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Kirksville, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you were caused injuries in a bus accident, you are likely feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the one driving and you got on board the bus assuming that the appropriate safety measures were adhered to. Kirksville, MO bus companies and drivers have strict regulations they have a responsibility to adhere to, but sometimes they fail in those duties and they leave us to pick up the pieces. Because of the force that is frequently exerted by bus accidents, injuries can take years to fully heal from, may have permanent effects or in the most terrible cases can even result in wrongful death. The Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will fight on your behalf so you do not need to face an uncertain future alone. When you hire us we begin investigating on your case at once, and will not let up until you are awarded the maximum compensation you deserve. We have seen every type of bus accident case and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Kirksville, MO individuals and families into settling for a lower recovery than they entitled to. Those Kirksville, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the difficult cases. Call us today and let the compassionate, experienced and relentless bus accident lawyers at Burger Law help you safeguard your family’s future and help make you whole again.

Legal procedures are complicated and can be difficult to comprehend for Kirksville, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years fighting back against bullies and fighting the hard fight. When you hire our Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney team, we handle every detail of your case. You can bank on an experienced and talented 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 on the scene at any time of the day or night in order to acquire essential evidence for your case.
• Interview eyewitnesses who were either also involved in the crash or were close by. As buses carry multiple passengers, there are typically other passengers who want the same answers and financial recovery you seek. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Collect further evidence such as tire marks, surveillance footage, police reports, and important details such as how long the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were done on the bus. A lot of different factors contribute to bus accidents, and your Burger Law Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney will determine the "whys" of the accident and who needs to be held accountable.
• Work alongside our network of Kirksville, MO accident and medical experts to determine liability for your bus accident injuries and assess 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 Kirksville, MO insurance companies who are more interested in 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 schemes will not work in your case.
• Take your case in front of a judge and jury if the insurance company will not offer a fair settlement, we will use our constantly trained litigation skills to secure you a full financial recovery for your damages.

Additionally, 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. We collect no attorneys fees until we win your case. If you or a family member has been harmed in a calamitous bus accident, contact an expert and committed 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 running a bus safely you will first need to determine the cause of the accident before determining who caused your injuries. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney like those at Burger Law have seen every type of car accident, truck accident and bus accident case and will be able to determine what entity is liable for your injuries.

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

• Driver age and experience. A 2012 Journal of Safety Research study found that inexperienced drivers under the age of 25, in addition to more experienced drivers over 55 years old were more likely to be driving when a bus accident transpired.
• Driver error. While the same study reported that a mere 4 percent of bus accidents were due to a serious offense such as drunk driving, another study by the University of Michigan found that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus crashes had been cited with driving errors, for example, speeding, being fatigued or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. A lot of bus drivers, particularly the ones that drive for commercial bus companies such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become fatigued 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 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 enforced or obeyed.
• Road conditions. Given buses’ mass and the awkwardness of maneuvering them, icy roads or Kirksville, MO construction areas can be particularly dangerous for bus riders. Sometimes a third party such as a construction company will be at fault. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that is the 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 inspections of over 765,000 motor carriers, or only 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means inspectors generally cannot keep pace with the amount of inspections needed. Some Kirksville, MO bus companies do not properly maintain their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies need to make certain that their drivers are correctly 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. Some typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, such as branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Insufficient lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The more time the hazardous condition has been on the Kirksville, MO street, the better your chances of holding the liable parties responsible. The liable party may be a local Kirksville, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the problem but either did not do so quickly enough or did not sufficiently repair it.

Once your accomplished Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney determines the reasons behind your wreck, 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 frequently found negligent in bus accident claims.

Commercial Bus Lines

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are considered common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to look out for their safety. One facet of that duty of care is to make sure that their drivers are not being overworked. Despite insisting that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules regarding driver fatigue. Drivers are technically required to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the vehicle to prevent fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is usually not followed 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 due to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound passengers have stated that their driver was eating when the accident took place, which is an example of distracted driving.

Ensuring that Kirksville, MO buses are properly 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 might be the result of a bus company either failing to perform routine maintenance or failing to repair a broken part or component. Older buses are especially predisposed to breaking down and bus companies need to keep their fleets updated.

Finally, bus companies cannot use negligent hiring practices. All drivers need to be adequately licensed and trained, and should only be allowed to drive after passing stringent background checks. Your Kirksville, 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 a duty to certify the safety of their vehicles and immediately announce recalls if a product is discovered to be hazardous. 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 might try to shift the blame to somebody else, your Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure liable parties are held accountable for their behavior.

The Kirksville or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be catastrophic because of the amount of people who could be injured and because they generally transpire in densely populated areas. While you can make a claim against the Kirksville, MO government, there are specific 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 seek to file a suit 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 urgent to reach out to a Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney immediately after your injury. 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 driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against a negligent or thoughtless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause an accident due to recklessness. If they became distracted by eating or texting, did not stop driving when they were feeling drowsy, did not pay attention to the Kirksville, 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 their employers sometimes have to be. When you ascend a bus you trust that driver with your health and your life. If a bus driver does not take that responsibility to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the dedicated and aggressive 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 instances 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 harmed in a bus accident where there was another driver or drivers involved, your talented and seasoned Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney will help you confirm if they are at fault and if you should make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the most common type of bus accident in Kirksville 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 at fault, a school district in Kirksville, MO may also be held accountable, for instance if they did not cancel school on a day when weather conditions were particularly poor or they did not conduct 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 Kirksville, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you recover in a bus accident case will generally depend on the severity of your injuries and how they have impacted and will impact they have on your life. You may have gotten a sprained ankle that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Kirksville, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have sustained a devastating 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 Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will make sure 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, physical therapy, assistive devices and medications
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity

  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 Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney team will fight aggressively to ensure that you recover 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 Kirksville, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every kind of bus accident case and know the incalculable anguish and devastating effect it can have on your and your loved ones. Your Kirksville, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, straightforward and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past two decades to win you the maximum recovery you are rightfully owed. 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 consultation.