Bus Accident Attorney in Ozark, MO

Bus Accident Attorney in Ozark, MO. If you or a loved one has been injured 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 get equal 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 Ozark, MO bus drivers and bus companies to keep us safe and follow the rules. When they break that trust and disregard the rules it can have ruinous, sometimes lifelong outcomes for you or the people you care about. Your Ozark, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law will ensure that you secure the maximum compensation that you are owed for your injuries.

At Burger Law, our bus accident attorney team has more than two decades of experience defending the injured in Ozark and throughout Missouri and pushing back against bullies like dishonest insurance companies and people who selfishly do not want to be held responsible for their reckless actions. Many Ozark, MO families have put their claims and their futures in our knowledgeable hands, and in total we have collected for them over $175 million in verdicts and settlements. Our bus accident attorney team uses their hard work, commitment, tenacity, knowledge and experience to help deliver justice in personal injury cases and help Ozark, MO residents heal. You should not have to lose work, pay for extortionate medical costs and also deal with the emotional impact of your injury just because another person broke the rules. If you or a family member has been hurt in a Ozark, MO bus accident, reach out to 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 case right away, and we do not charge any fees until we win your case.

If you were injured in a bus accident in Ozark, MO because of someone else's negligent behavior, discover how much your injury may be worth by using our personal injury calculator.

Do I Need a Ozark, MO Bus Accident Attorney?

If you have received injuries in a bus accident, we know you are feeling especially undefended. After all, you were not the one driving and you went aboard the bus presuming that the adequate safety measures were adhered to. Ozark, MO bus companies and drivers have firm regulations they are supposed to obey, 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 heal from, may have lifelong consequences or in the worst cases can even result in wrongful death. The Ozark, 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 immediately, and work relentlessly until you recover the best possible compensation you are entitled to. We have made a claim for every type of bus accident injury and know every trick insurance companies use to try and defraud injured Ozark, MO individuals and families into settling for less compensation than they are owed. Those Ozark, MO insurance companies fear us because they know our bus accident attorney team takes up – and wins – the complicated cases. Call us today and let the empathetic, 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 convoluted and can be unforgiving to Ozark, MO residents who do not have the litigation and trial experience of an accomplished bus accident attorney. For over 20 years standing up to bullies and fighting the hard cases. When you hire our Ozark, MO bus accident attorney team, we manage every detail of your case. You can anticipate an accomplished and talented bus accident attorney at Burger Law to:

• Investigate the crash site the first chance we get. When you call us, we can have a bus accident lawyer at the site at any time of the day or night in order to secure essential 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 generally other passengers who want the same answers and compensation you seek. We will take official depositions of eyewitnesses to aid in your case.
• Obtain additional evidence such as tire marks, surveillance videos, police reports, as well as important details such as how far the driver had driven that day or when the last inspection and repairs were conducted on the bus. Many different factors play a part in bus accidents, and your Burger Law Ozark, MO bus accident attorney will find out the "whys" of the crash and who needs to be held responsible.
• Work alongside our network of Ozark, MO accident and medical experts to determine negligence for your bus accident injuries and put a figure on exactly how much your injuries are worth. You deserve every dime of what you are owed and we will implement our knowledge and expertise to make certain you recover it.
• Fight back against resistant Ozark, MO insurance companies who are more interested in their profits than your health. We have seen every trick in the book that insurance companies use to try and avoid their duty to compensate you. When you hire us, you can be sure those deceptive maneuvers will not work in your case.
• Take the fight to trial if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we will use our expert litigation skills to win you a great financial recovery for your injuries.

Furthermore, our bus accident attorney team will be keeping you informed entire time. We take control of all communication, documentation and litigation so that you can spend all of your energy on healing and making your family whole again. We charge no attorneys fees until you are fairly compensated. If you or a loved one has been injured in a disastrous 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 operating a bus safely you will first need to discover the cause of the accident before determining who is liable. Thankfully, an accomplished and skilled Ozark, 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 find out who is responsible for your injuries.

What Causes Bus Accidents? | Ozark, 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 happened.
• Driver behavior. While the same study stated that only 4 percent of bus accidents were caused by a severe offense such as drunk driving, a different study by the University of Michigan stated that 31 percent of bus drivers in metropolitan area bus collisions had been cited with driving errors, for instance, speeding, being drowsy or distracted driving.
• Driver fatigue. Many bus drivers, especially those that are employed by commercial bus lines such as Greyhound that necessitate drivers to drive hundreds of miles at all hours of the day or night, become drowsy 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 rules 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 hazards. Given buses’ size and the difficulty of maneuvering them, slippery roads or Ozark, MO construction areas can be particularly risky for bus riders. Occasionally a third party such as a construction company is liable. Burger Law's bus accident attorney will help you decide if that is the case.
• Negligence by the bus company. Bus companies are overseen by regulatory entities, 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 motor carriers, or a mere 1.15 inspectors per 1,000 motor carriers. This means reviews frequently cannot stay ahead of the quantity of inspections needed. Some Ozark, MO bus companies do not properly repair their vehicles, causing them to be dangerous. Additionally, bus companies are mandated to make sure that their drivers are correctly trained and are not overworked.
• Dangerous roads. Unsafe road conditions or hazards in the road can lead to a driver losing control and causing an accident. A Few typical examples are:
  • Potholes
  • Uneven pavement or cracks in the pavement
  • Defective or missing traffic signals
  • Obstacles on the road, for instance branches or vehicle wreckage
  • Poor lighting
  • Excessive grades

  The longer the hazardous condition has been on the Ozark, MO road, the better your odds of holding the at-fault parties accountable. The negligent party may be a local Ozark, MO government, or a third party whom the government paid to repair the condition but either did not do so in a timely fashion or did not properly repair it.

Once your knowledgeable Ozark, MO bus accident attorney deduces the reasons behind your crash, they will be able to confirm who is responsible for your injuries and how to go forward with winning you the best possible compensation. Below are some examples of parties who are frequently found at-fault in bus accident cases.

Commercial Bus Companies

Transportation buses such as Greyhounds are regarded as common carriers legally speaking, which means they have a duty of care to their customers to look out for their safety. One aspect of that duty of care is to ensure that their drivers are not driving too many hours in a day. Despite insisting that safety is their foremost priority, a CNN report in 2016 found that Greyhound is not obeying its own rules in regards to driver fatigue. Drivers are theoretically mandated to stop every 150 miles and get out to inspect the bus to hold off fatigue. However, the rule is not enforced and is rarely followed as too many breaks could cause financial losses for the company. A 2012 government study found that 37 percent of all passenger bus crashes were owing to driver fatigue. Moreover, many Greyhound customers have stated that their driver was eating during the time of a crash, which constitutes distracted driving.

Making certain that Ozark, MO buses are correctly inspected and repaired and that they have safety equipment such as seatbelts are also the responsibility of the bus company. A bus accident could be because of a bus company either neglecting to carry out routine inspections or neglecting to fix a broken part or component. Buses with more miles under their wheels are especially prone to breaking down and bus companies must keep their fleets updated.

Lastly, bus companies need to be vigilant in their hiring practices. All drivers need to be properly licensed and trained, and should only be permitted to drive after passing strict background checks. Your Ozark, 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 wreck took place.

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 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 properly, they are guilty of product liability. While they might try to place the blame on someone else, your Ozark, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law has over 20 years of experience making sure negligent parties are held accountable for their actions.

The Ozark or Missouri Government or a Public Entity

Public transportation accidents can often be calamitous because of the number of people involved and because they generally transpire in metropolitan areas. While you can make a claim against the Ozark, 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 tort cases. 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 crucial to reach out to a Ozark, 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 driving a motor vehicle “within the course of their employment.” This means that you can sue or make a claim against a negligent or careless public bus driver in Missouri.

The Bus Driver

Even a properly licensed and trained bus driver can cause a crash because of driving mistakes. If they became distracted by eating or talking, did not pull over when they were feeling overly tired, did not pay attention to the Ozark, MO road conditions and driving laws while they were driving or made the dangerous 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 safety and your life. If a bus driver does not take that duty to heart and causes you injury, you can be sure that the dedicated and relentless bus accident attorney at Burger Law will hold them responsible.

The Other Driver

Like any type of motor vehicle collision, two or more drivers are often involved, and in some cases they each may be responsible for 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 hurt you. If you were hurt in a bus wreck where there was another driver or drivers involved, your skilled and seasoned Ozark, MO bus accident attorney will help you establish if they are responsible and if you can make a claim against their insurance company.

School Districts

School bus accidents are the the kind of bus accident we most commonly see in Ozark 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 Ozark, 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 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 Ozark, MO Recover For Me?

The compensation you collect in a bus accident case will generally depend on the gravity of your injuries and the ramifications they have on your life. You may have received a sprained wrist that only needed a quick trip to an emergency room in Ozark, MO and a couple weeks off work. Or, you may have experienced a catastrophic 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 Ozark, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law, we will ensure that you collect 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 alongside our network of medical and economic experts to compute 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 grave your injuries and however much they have impacted your life, Burger Law's Ozark, MO bus accident attorney team will fight tirelessly to ensure that you receive full 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 Ozark, MO Bus Accident Attorney Today

We have seen every category of bus accident case and know the incalculable pain and disastrous effect it can have on your and your family. Your Ozark, MO bus accident attorney at Burger Law is compassionate, accomplished, honest and determined and will use every bit of the knowledge and abilities we have gained over the past 20 years to win you the full 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 complimentary consultation.